With baited breath, fans of Joe Exotic aka “Tiger King” waited to see if he’d possibly be granted a presidential pardon by outgoing….person…Donald Trump. Bad news- it didn’t happen.
Released just a few minutes ago, the full list of pardons numbers 143, and not one of them is for Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage. He was convicted on 17 federal charges of animal abuse (eight violations of the Lacey Act and nine of the Endangered Species Act) and two counts of attempted murder for hire for a plot to kill Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin. He is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison.
Other notable names NOT on the list include former Trump council Rudy Giuliani, Wikileaks’ Julian Assange, and Edward Snowden.
Steve Bannon, former executive chairman of Breitbart News and Trump administration adviser, was a recepiant of a pardon, though. So did rapper Lil Wayne (aka Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.), for charges of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a conviction felon
You can read the full list of pardons on the official White House website here.
Mary Anne Butler
Mary Anne Butler (Mab) has been part of the fast-paced world of journalism since she was 15, getting her start in album reviews and live concert coverage for a nationally published (print) music magazine. She eventually transitioned to online media, writing for such sites as UGO/IGN, ComicsOnline, Geek Magazine, Ace of Geeks, Aggressive Comix (where she is still Editor-in-Chief), Bleeding Cool (where she was News Editor), and now Nerdbot as Editor-In-Chief. Over the past 10 years, she’s built a reputation at conventions across the globe as a cosplayer (occasionally), photographer (constantly), panelist and moderator (mostly), and reporter (always). Interviews, reviews, observations, breaking news, and objective reporting are the name of the game for the founder of Harkonnen Knife Fight, a Dune-themed band with an international presence. Though she be but little, she is fierce.