A Manhattan grand jury voted on Thursday to indict Donald Trump for his role in hush money paid to Stormy Daniels in 2016, allegedly to cover up the twice-impeached former president’s affair with the adult film star. And, now that charges have come, John Leguizamo hopes Trump gets a roommate he’s familiar with in prison.
Naturally, the news of Trump’s indictment led “The Daily Show” on Thursday night, with both Leguizamo and the crowd literally getting up to their feet to cheer and celebrate. As the guest host noted, it was nice to deliver some “light-hearted news that’s really gonna put a smile on your face.”
“That’s right! Lady Justice grabbed Trump by the p—y,” Leguizamo said cheerfully. “And you know, I take a firm stance against mass incarceration, OK? But for this, I’m willing to make an exception.”
That said, Leguizamo admitted that Trump should get some kind of preferential treatment in jail, if only in the form of who he ends up bunking with.
“I just hope they take it easy on him and put him at least in a cell with his lawyer,” Leguizamo joked.
Of course, it’s not a given that Trump will go to prison in this case. At this point, it’s unclear what specific charges he is facing. Hush money in and of itself is not illegal; these charges stem from the way the money to Daniels was classified on the record.
Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor in New York, and would likely result in a fine at worst. But prosecutors may also be considering an additional charge of first-degree falsifying business records “with the intent to commit another crime,” or conceal one.
The latter charge represents a violation of campaign finance laws, a felony that carries a minimum one-year sentence – but also requires proof that Trump intended to commit a crime, and Trump has steadfastly denied knowledge of the payment or reimbursement.
You can watch the full segment from “The Daily Show” in the video above.