Tiger King and Julian Assange miss out on Trump pardons – but plenty of controversial figures make the grade – The Northern Echo

One name missing in US president Donald Trump's flurry of pardons is Tiger King Joe Exotic.

His team was so confident in a pardon that they had readied a celebratory limousine and a hair and wardrobe team to whisk away the zookeeper-turned-reality-TV-star, who is now serving a 22-year federal prison sentence in Texas.

But he was not on the list announced on Wednesday morning.

Undated TV still handout from Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness. Pictured: Joe Exotic. PA Feature SHOWBIZ Download Reviews. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Netflix. All Rights Reserved. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Fea

Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was sentenced in January 2020 to 22 years in federal prison for violating federal wildlife laws and for his role in a failed murder-for-hire plot targeting his chief rival, Carole Baskin, who runs a rescue sanctuary for big cats in Florida. Ms Baskin was not harmed.

Maldonado-Passage, who has maintained his innocence, was also sentenced for killing five tigers, selling tiger cubs and falsifying wildlife records. A jury convicted him in April 2019.

In his pardon application filed in September, Maldonado-Passage's lawyers argued that he was "railroaded and betrayed" by others.

Maldonado-Passage, 57, is scheduled to be released from custody in 2037, but his lawyers said in the application that "he will likely die in prison" because of health concerns.

Maldonado-Passage's legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment early on Wednesday.

The blonde mullet-wearing zookeeper, known for his expletive-laden rants on YouTube and a failed 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial campaign, was prominently featured in the popular Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.

Another famous face to miss out was Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Mr Assanges supporters had hoped Mr Trump would pardon the Wikileaks founder, however he did not make the list.

File photo dated 19/05/17 of Julian Assange, who is not among a round of pardons which US President Donald Trump issued in his final hours in office. Issue date: Wednesday January 20, 2021.

Mr Assanges partner Stella Moris previously said: I urge the (US) Department of Justice to drop the charges and the President of the United States to pardon Julian.

Earlier this month, Mr Assange won his fight to avoid extradition to the United States but was denied bail under strict conditions for fear he could abscond and deny prosecutors the chance to appeal.

The 49-year-old is wanted to face an 18-count indictment, alleging a plot to hack computers and a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

The US Government has formally lodged an appeal against the decision to block Mr Assanges extradition.

SO WHO DID MAKE THE CUT?

President Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of 143 people early on Wednesday, just hours before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Among the prominent names to have received a presidential pardon is Mr Trumps former strategist Steve Bannon, US rapper Lil Wayne and Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy.

Most noteworthy was the pardoning of Mr Bannon.

A statement from the White House said: "Prosecutors pursued Mr Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project.

"Mr Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen."

Bannon had been charged with duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to fulfil Mr Trump's chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border.

Instead, he allegedly diverted over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.

In August, he was pulled from a luxury yacht off the coast of Connecticut and brought before a judge in Manhattan, where he pleaded not guilty.

Mr Trump has already pardoned a slew of long-time associates and supporters, including his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law; his long-time friend and adviser Roger Stone; and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Besides Bannon, other pardon recipients included Elliott Broidy, a Republican fundraiser who pleaded guilty last autumn in a scheme to lobby the Trump administration to drop an investigation into the looting of a Malaysian wealth fund, and Ken Kurson, a friend of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner who was charged last October with cyberstalking during a divorce.

Bannon's pardon was especially notable given that the prosecution was still in its early stages and any trial was months away. Whereas pardon recipients are conventionally thought of as defendants who have faced justice, often by having served at least some prison time, the pardon nullifies the prosecution and effectively eliminates any prospect for punishment.

Wednesday's list also includes rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, both convicted in Florida on weapons charges.

Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, has frequently expressed support for Mr Trump and recently met with the president on criminal justice issues.

Others on the list included Death Row Records co-founder Michael Harris and New York art dealer and collector Hillel Nahmad.

Other pardon recipients include former Representative Rick Renzi, an Arizona Republican who served three years for corruption, money laundering and other charges, and former Representative Duke Cunningham, who was convicted of accepting 2.4 million dollars in bribes from defence contractors. Cunningham, who was released from prison in 2013, received a conditional pardon.

Mr Trump also commuted the prison sentence of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who has served about seven years behind bars for a racketeering and bribery scheme.

Bannon - who served in the Navy and worked at Goldman Sachs and as a Hollywood producer before turning to politics - led the conservative Breitbart News before being tapped to serve as chief executive officer of Mr Trump's 2016 campaign in its critical final months.

He later served as chief strategist to the president during the turbulent early days of Trump's administration and was at the forefront of many of its most contentious policies, including its travel ban on several majority-Muslim countries.

But Bannon, who clashed with other top advisers, was pushed out after less than a year. And his split with Mr Trump deepened after he was quoted in a 2018 book making critical remarks about some of Mr Trump's adult children.

Bannon apologised and soon stepped down as chairman of Breitbart. He and Trump have recently reconciled.

Read the original:
Tiger King and Julian Assange miss out on Trump pardons - but plenty of controversial figures make the grade - The Northern Echo