Randy Credico Interviewed by Errol Louis (11/27/2017)

Supplemental document for: "Theory that Roger Stone's back channel to Wikileaks was Randy Credico", link: https://storify.com/italkyoubored/theory-that-roger-stone-s-go-between-for-wikileaks

Transcript is of the entire file. Broadcast date: November 27, 2017.

File link: http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2017/11/28/randy-credico-discusses-meetings-julian-assange-house-intelligence-committee

ERROL LOUIS
We are back on "The Road To City Hall". We turn our focus now to the sprawling investigation into hacking, intelligence leaks, and Russian interference in the political process here in the United States. Our next guest is known to many in the New York political world, as a media personality, a political satirist, and a passionate and at times unorthodox activist for causes, including prison reform. But he joins me tonight, to talk about another cause, which is his relationship with controversial Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, which has gotten the interest of House Intelligence investigators and in drawing that interest, they have invited him in for an interview, a friendly chat. Randy Credico has declined that friendly chat. He joins me now to make sense of this. Welcome, and very good to see you.

RANDY CREDICO
You too. Nice seeing you. Do I get to shake your hand? [they shake]

LOUIS
It's a little- When I found out that they wanted to talk with you, on one level, I wasn't surprised. You have a radio show on WBAI, you've been very active, you've talked about Wikileaks, this organization that encourages people to leak sensitive government documents, and its founder, and I guess, titular leader, Julian Assange, has been holed up in an embassy, in London, for years-

CREDICO
Six- Almost six years. June 16th, it'll be six years.

LOUIS
Fighting extradition- [CREDICO: Yes.] And while some people stay away from him, you take photos of yourself outside of the embassy before you go and visit him.

CREDICO
Right.

LOUIS
Were you personal friends? How did you get to know him?

CREDICO
Uh, I got to know him because I got him on my radio show, way back...last August. Not this August, 2016 [August of 2016]. August 25th. I had everybody on my show, I had a very controversial show, so he was on, and I didn't actually meet him...until eight weeks ago. When I was there covering another- for KPFA, Pacifica's flagship station, Stefania Maurizi, La Repubblica's attempt to get files, from the Crown Prosecutor Services. And uh- They had said to, to the Swedish prosecutors, it's a very complicated story, but- So, I went in, and that was the first time, and I went back last week for the conclusion of this hearing, and spent two days with him. And I got to know him very well, but you know, he's done my radio show a number of times, and I did a ten part series at WBAI called "Assange: Countdown to Freedom". Actually, his mother was on it, Craig Murray, you know, I've had- So many great guests.

LOUIS
So, you've spent a lot of hours in there. What's it look like? What's his living situation?

CREDICO
It's not good. You know? It's a- It's a ground floor, and there's a kitchen...and a small room, and there's no sunlight. Absolutely no sunlight, at all, that gets into the place. Uh and so there's- It's- It's very confining, you know?

LOUIS
So now, so now, from your point of view, why is- why do you think the House Intelligence Committee wants to talk to you? They sent you a nice letter saying-

CREDICO
[laughs] Yeah!

LOUIS
"Won't you please come in for an on the record chat and we'll have a transcription of it?" Your lawyer basically wrote back, and said uh-

CREDICO
"No."

LOUIS
"Take a flying leap."

CREDICO
Yes. "Mr. Credico has declined your-"

LOUIS
"-your generous invitation-"

CREDICO
"-of a friendly conversation with the House Intel Committee." So, uh, what has happened since, they said that they are sending a subpoena.

LOUIS
Yes. You're going to have to talk to them, Randy.

CREDICO
I'm going to have to talk to them - I'm going to have to appear before them, whether I talk or not, I consider myself - not Errol Louis, not Zach Fink, but I am a journalist. In the sense that I had a radio show for eighteen months, and I still do reportage for KPFA, and I consider this to be confidential, First Amendment protection. So, I'm not sure I'm going to talk to them.

LOUIS
Okay. Very interesting. Okay, and look, all of the media groups can and probably should support you in that.

CREDICO
Whether you like them or not, whether you like Wikileaks or not - because they have been accused of putting out stuff that was classified, so did "The Smoking Gun", so did "The Daily Beast", put out Guccifer stuff - they were never charged.

LOUIS
Well, here's the question, and this has been bandied about, as you know, it's been suggested that because of the timing of your presence, and context with Julian Assange and Wikileaks, and the release of certain information, as well as statements from Roger Stone, another guest on this show, from time to time, I mean - I know that you know him. That you were his go-between. Roger Stone said he had a go-between, who was dealing with Julian Assange and Wikileaks, are you that go-between?

CREDICO
Are you- You believe that story?

LOUIS
Oh no, I'm just asking.

CREDICO
Let me just say this: I am not at liberty uuuuh, courtesy of counsel, to talk about Roger Stone, or to talk about Wikileaks. Or talk about Julian Assange, because these are both guests, that have appeared many times on my show. And by talking to you about it, that could give them uuuh a tire iron to get me to talk.

LOUIS
Well. What do you- What do you think is going on here? Is it, based on everything you've seen, including the recent arrest and indictment of Paul Manafort, the campaign chair, the guilty plea of Mr. Papadopoulos, do you think there's something _there_? Whether or not it involves Wikileaks, or you, or Julian Assange?

CREDICO
I think that right now, there is a- They're casting a _big net_ out. They're trying to get something to keep this going, I think what's really behind it, is...Russia. They- It seems like they wanna have some kind of, not a nuclear war, but some kind of Cold War, again, with Russia. And this keeps those flames going. This investigation. At the end of the day...I'm no Trump supporter, you know that! I- Way back- Going way back when I was with Bill Kunstler, and the uh Central Park joggers [sic], I've never liked Trump, so...there's no connection between me and Trump! I didn't want him to win! I supported Jill Stein. It was the- The most depressing day of my life, was...I think, since 1980, when Reagan won, was the day that I was at Jill Stein's..._party_, last September, or November...2016, and I saw he was going to win. It was a very depressing day.

LOUIS
Right.

CREDICO
I did not want him to win.

LOUIS
But if there is a sort of a Cold War enmity being directed towards Russia, might it be mutual? From your point of view?

CREDICO
With Russia?

LOUIS
Yeah.

CREDICO
Would Russia like to have a Cold War? I don't know if they have the economy to support a Cold War. They certainly didn't, that's why the wall came down. But, right now they're surrounded- China's got four hundred bases around its country. And we have bases all around Iran, and, I mean- This is stuff that's not covered that often, but I don't see any Russian bases in Cuba, or in uh anywhere in this hemisphere, Canada, there's none around here. But a Cold War, if you're getting money- You gotta check and see, who is getting money on the House Intel Committee. If there's a preponderance of arms industry money going to, uh members of the Intel Committee, then you have to make that extrapolation, that there is this Cold War- I mean, you gotta sell arms, if you've gotta build arms, you gotta sell arms-

LOUIS
No no no no, fair enough, that-

CREDICO
That's my assessment.

LOUIS
Nah, fair enough, it is fair enough. If you're going to look into, you know, is- is Michael Milken- is Michael Flynn taking money from the Turkish government, [CREDICO: Yes!] from the Russian oligarchs- [CREDICO: Right.] You should also look at our members of the House and Senate [CREDICO: Right.] taking money from the arms industry. Final question: what- what are you going to do, if they drop a subpoena on you? And they actually bring you in? I mean, you- you suggested that you've got- a case to make, but- that might have to be adjudicated, and there are journalists who lose those cases, and end up having to go to jail.

CREDICO
Well, that that- Judith Miller- Me, strange bedfellows, because I just saw a documentary on the Hollywood Ten. You know, and that's kinda my inspiration. I am fighting for a journalist here, it's worth- I'm willing to go to jail for that. I've gone to jail many times in the city, for fighting against stop and frisk. And so, I'd be willing- This is a very important case. And- I'm getting old- This might be my last case-

LOUIS
Aw, c'mon!

CREDICO
-that I work on, and I'd be willing, in this case, to protect your right as a journalist, and everybody else, right as a journalist, and they should be supporting Julian Assange - even if they don't agree with him! And I don't agree with him on everything, myself! You know?

LOUIS
We're going to leave it there, I wish you the best of luck, keep us up to date, on whatever happens throughout the rest of this, Randy Credico.

CREDICO
Thank you.

LOUIS
That's going to do it for tonight's show, thank you so much for watching, and have a great evening. We'll see you the next time, on "The Road to City Hall".