Carole Baskin, one of the real-life characters in the wildly popular Netflix true-crime series “Tiger King,” has donated $1,000 to North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr’s reelection campaign, according to the senator’s most recent filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Baskin's donation was first reported by Dave Levinthal, the editor at large for the Center for Public Integrity.
The powerful chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee is currently under federal investigation for millions of dollars in stock sales following intelligence briefings he received in late January about the coming impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
Burr is one of four lawmakers to face scrutiny for stock trades made after the private meeting but is the only one to face a criminal probe in the matter.
The others include Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.
All have denied any wrongdoing.
Baskin made the donation on Feb. 5. She has given to politicians in both parties and animal rights groups since 2007, and Burr has previously introduced animal rights legislation, including the 2010 bill that went on to ban so-called animal “crush” videos.
Baskin contributed $1,000 to the 2020 presidential campaign of Democratic Sen. Cory Booker.
Burr won re-election in 2016 and said he would not seek re-election in 2022.
“Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” debuted on March 20 — a documentary rife with dysfunction and corruption among a cast of shadowy characters.
The story line explores the esoteric world of big cat collectors and their rivalry with animal conservationists. One such feud develops between Baskin, an animal rights activist and sanctuary owner in Tampa, Florida, and an Oklahoma zookeeper by the name of Joe Exotic.
Years of accusations, threats and harassment between the two eventually lead to a failed murder-for-hire plot and a lengthy federal prison sentence.
The story also chronicles the 1997 disappearance of Jack Donald Lewis, Baskin’s former husband who was declared legally dead in 2002. The couple, who met in 1981, co-owned the sanctuary Wildlife on Easy Street, which was later renamed Big Cat Rescue, which Baskin still runs today. No one was ever charged in Lewis’ disappearance, and Baskin continues to deny any involvement.
The series was viewed by more 34 million people during its first 10 days of release, according to Nielsen ratings.
