Donald Trump is using his final hours as President to execute his official pardons, amongst the names on the exiting president’s list include Lil Wayne and Tiger King star Joe Exotic.
Trump plans to use his final day in office to pardon over 100 people, following the two waves of clemency he has enacted over the past month. As Reuters report, Trump allegedly has no plans to pardon himself, his personal lawyer Rudy Giulini, his former political advisor Steve Bannon or any of the Trump family.
The report outlines that despite the legality of a presidential self-pardon receiving the all-clear, advisors of Trump have cautioned him that pardoning himself and his family may infer guilt in future state or civil lawsuits.
The full-list of those anticipating a Trump pardon is yet to be revealed. Reports have suggested that amongst the celebrity-sphere, Joe Exotic, Lil Wayne and rapper Kodak Black may be in line for clemency.
In May last year, Joe Exotic’s legal team assembled a case for his pardon that was reportedly sent to the Trump administration. The Tiger King star is currently serving 22 years in federal prison for a litany of charges; including hiring a hitman to kill Carole Baskin and a number of wildlife violations including the murder of five tigers.
Joe Exotic has maintained his innocence, claiming that he was wrongly convicted for the murder-for-hire plot against Baskin.
Back in May, Exotic’s legal team put together a case for his pardon that was reportedly sent to the Trump administration. Now, it looks like Exotic’s final chance to be pardoned is here.
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As The Independent report, Exotic’s legal team are confident that he will receive a pardon from Trump. So much so that there is reportedly a limousine waiting to pick up him up outside of prison.
“We’re going to be celebrating,” Eric Love, who is leading Exotic’s case, told Metro.co.uk. “We have good reason to believe it will come through. We’re confident enough we already have a limousine parked about half a mile from the prison. We are really in action mode right now.
“I’ve got make-up, wardrobe, the whole unit that will come up. The first thing Joe wants to do, he wants his hair done. He hasn’t had his hair done in two-and-a-half years. That’s the first order of business. Then we’ll probably go and get some pizzas, steak, maybe a McRib.”
Everything about this feels so corny, gross and depraved. If Joe Exotic receives a pardon at the hand of Trump I fear the abject depression I will plummet into afterwards.
Lil Wayne is also anticipating a legal pardon following his guilty plea last month for possession of a loaded, gold-plated handgun. The rapper is currently facing up to 10 years in prison if found guilty at his hearing in Miami on January 28th.
Lil Wayne publicly endorsed Donald Trump during his presidential campaign last year when we shared a photo of himself and the president, praising Trump’s criminal justice reform programme and economic plan.
