Whew! Joe Exotic wants the be let out of the slammer ASAP after seeing Brittney Griner walk out of Russian prison, thanks to President Biden.
The “Tiger King” star was heard in an audio obtained by TMZ explaining how he wants to be the one let out of jail next, but he also shared how upset he is over the prisoner swap deal. As it was previously mentioned, Brittney Griner was released this Thursday from prison in Russia following a one-for-one prisoner swap. In exchange for her freedom, international arms dealer Viktor Bout was given to Russian officials.
In a video obtained by TMZ Exotic says, “The whole Brittney Griner and Trevor Reed prisoner swap is a slap in every American’s face that is wrongfully detained in the American Federal Prison System, including myself.”
Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was resentenced to 21 years in prison on charges of perpetrating the murder-for-hire scheme and for the killing and selling of tigers. During his trial, it was alleged he had hired a hit man for $3,000 to travel from Oklahoma to Florida to murder Carol Baskin, who also appeared on the show.
More On Brittney Griner
As we previously reported earlier this week,
President Biden announced the breaking news about Griner from the White House: “She’s safe. She’s on a plane. She’s on her way home. After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones and she should have been there all along. This is a day we’ve worked toward for a long time. We never stopped pushing for her release.”
TMZ also obtained video of the actual video prison swap from Russian state media outlet TASS. In the clip, Griner is seen wearing a red jacket, walking along with officials outside of private planes before coming into contact with Bout. Also in the footage, Griner appears with her signature dreadlocks cut off. The public last seen the WNBA star at a court hearing in late October, her hair had still been long.
Griner’s wife spoke out after receiving the great news. She said, “Over the last nine months you all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life,” Cherelle said in a Dec. 8 statement, given from the White House. “And so today I am just standing here overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion that I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration. He just mentioned this work is not easy and it has not been.”
RELATED: WATCH: Brittney Griner Is Back On U.S. Soil Following Russian Prisoner Swap