Randy Credico on Fred Dicker (12/8/2017)

Supplemental document for: "Theory that Roger Stone's back channel to Wikileaks was Randy Credico", link: https://wakelet.com/wake/2d352ae9-febe-44a1-a7bb-51674a2e4bf5

Transcript of relevant portion of "Focus on the State Capitol" with host Fred Dicker, broadcast date: December 8, 2017. Excerpt goes from 25:20 to 40:26.

File link: http://www.mediafire.com/file/mdsg8hovfvxaq4g/FSC128171.mp3

["There But For Fortune" by Phil Ochs plays]

FRED DICKER
Well, many regular, long-time listeners to the show, certainly know that song, a beautiful song by Phil Ochs, a theme song I often play to introduce our next guest, the official comedian of the show, or more importantly, these days, a very serious political activist, he's under subpoena from the U.S. Congress, and I thought I would play the music again, Randy, because I know you have a lot of listeners over in Europe, who may be listening to you right now, in Scandinavia, and Great Britain, good morning, Randy Credico, interesting times, good to have you with us.

RANDY CREDICO
[despite moments of excitement, sounds very sedated throughout the interview] It's great to have...to be on the show, Fred. Ummm yes, I think you do have a lot of listeners, and...of course, my good friends, over there, at Anonymous Scandinavia, sent out a tweet, and they have a huge following, and it's bouncing around. They even have a picture of you on there-

DICKER
Doesn't Julian Assange himself, from Wikileaks, listen to you on the show? That's my understanding.

CREDICO
Yes. Yeah. Yeah, sure. Sure. He listens to me uuuh the other day on another radio- Yeah. He listens.

DICKER
Doesn't have much else to do [laughs].

CREDICO
He's a radio guy. He's a radio- He likes radio, Fred.

DICKER
Has a lot of free time to listen to the radio.

CREDICO
I think he's very busy, you know, and as a matter of fact, holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy, and under attack...he uh is a very busy guy.

DICKER
Give us an update, I saw you mentioned in the Times again today, I think it was today's paper, the second story ["Comedian Is Subpoenaed in Inquiry on Russia Meddling" https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/us/politics/comedian-is-subpoenaed-in-inquiry-on-russia-meddling.html ] - as a guy who's been fingered, so to speak, by that...man of great integrity, Roger Stone, as an alleged intermediary, between Stone, the Trump guy, or at least he likes to be thought of that way, and uh Wikileaks, Julian Assange. You've been subpoenaed, I think the subpoena's returnable a week from today, what's the latest?

CREDICO
That's the latest. Two pm next Friday, Fred. Last day of the session.

DICKER
You gonna go? You going?

CREDICO
Yeah. Yeah. I gotta go. I have to go down there.

DICKER
You going to answer questions?

CREDICO
Fred, I- I- I leave all of those uh questions about me answering questions to my lawyers. I have very able staff of lawyers, who-

DICKER
Yeah, but they work for you. You don't work for them. I mean, what aren't you telling them what to do?

CREDICO
I understand, Fred. You take- You take their advice, you know? So-

DICKER
But what is their advice right now?

CREDICO
Their advice is not to say anything, right now, on your show, because I know they're listening. They monitor your show, Fred, as does the government, so I'm not going to give anybody-

DICKER
[inaudible] or the Congress that's monitoring the show, do you think? Or both?

CREDICO
I think so, Fred. I think that they- I mean, I did a radio show the other day [this is Intercepted, with Jeremy Scahill, easily the best interview with Credico, and Scahill is a long-time foe of the surveillance state: https://theintercept.com/2017/12/06/intercepted-podcast-whos-afraid-of-the-alt-deep-state/ ], and somebody's digging up tweets that I made from a year ago, you know. I did Jeremy Scahill's show, and he had tweets, no idea, tweets that I made a year ago, uuuuuh, and uuuh, very interesting, where they popped up. They were innocuous, just- You don't remember certain things that you know- I'm one of those late night tweeters? [DICKER laughs] I used to be a really late late late late night tweet- uh tweeter, when I was uuuuh out on the wagon. Okay? So-

DICKER
I remember some late night phone calls that your pal Roger Stone had made, including one to Eliot Spitzer's father...you remember that, late night?

CREDICO
Oh...I remember that one. Yes. That was like, two or three o'clock in the morning. You know...you- you- You act- You were one of those that thought it was me?

DICKER
No, I never thought it was you. I mean, you just listen to it, you know it's Roger Stone. Plus, you came on my show, and you tried your best to imitate Roger Stone, and you couldn't pull it off.

CREDICO
Yeah, certain voices...I can't do your voice. I can't do his voice, I mean, I can approximate it...you've known him for so many years, Fred, you know the real Roger Stone, and someone trying to impersonate him, it's really difficult-

DICKER
Yeah, I know the real Roger Stone is a guy who delights in being, in describing himself as the ultimate dirty trickster. A guy who brags about lying, regularly, as a routine practice, that he uses to advance his agenda. And without his background, I cannot understand why so many journalists remain fascinated by him. When he's a guy who admits he's involved in manipulating the truth all the time, and, if anything, is the symbol of the debasement of American politics.

CREDICO
Yeah. Well-

DICKER
And so many journalists who claim to care about, you know, honest society, suck up to him, call him regularly, take what he tells them. And use it.

CREDICO
What- Are you talking about Maggie Haberman?

DICKER
Nah, I'm talking about journalists generally. I mean, I think she's friendly with him, and I know many others who have been.

CREDICO
Yeah, they're friendly, but listen: I'm- I- it's like somebody said the other day, ummmmm, I think it's Zach Fink, who did a very nice story the other day, included my dog ["Why NY comedian Randy Credico has been linked to the Russia probe" http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2017/12/06/randy-credico-subpoenaed-house-intelligence-committee-explainer-russia-probe ], said that I was friends with Roger Stone for twenty years. I've known him for fifteen years. Hardly a friendship. But he's been a great source, I get four or five good interviews out of him, during the election season last year, and, you know, I was working on some other stories with him that never panned out, when I researched them, so-

DICKER
Did you ever put Warren Redlich on your show? To talk about?

CREDICO
You know, I- I- I don't have a show anymore. And now this thing has popped up again with Warren Redlich [Stone would be alleged to be involved with passing out fliers accusing Redlich, without basis, of being a pedophile; after long delays, the libel trial was taking place at the time of this interview]. And...

DICKER
He's suing, for slander-

CREDICO
If I had a radio show right now- I'm a special correspondent for Flashpoints on Pacifica, right now, and I am a-

DICKER
I thought you worked for this show as well. Aren't you one of my special correspondents?

CREDICO
I said it the other day on Errol Louis's show ["Credico Speaks: Assange, WikiLeaks, and the House Intelligence Committee" http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2017/11/28/randy-credico-discusses-meetings-julian-assange-house-intelligence-committee ], that I'm one of your special correspondents, I've done- I've done, I think, eight or nine reports uuuh during Occupy Wall Street, [DICKER: For sure.] and, from Europe, [DICKER: For sure.] if you recall.

DICKER
Also, when you got arrested. Remember that time they arrested you?

CREDICO
Oh yes. You were the first person I called, from the Bronx uh-

DICKER
Subway station.

CREDICO
Yes. I made my first phone call to Fred Dicker.

DICKER
Not to your lawyer. Randy, tell us what your lawyers are telling you the considerations are, when they decide what to recommend to you, to say, or to answer any questions before the House Intelligence Committee. What are they telling you, you should be aware of? Give us a-

CREDICO
I gotta be aware of uh, you know, if you say something, then it opens it up. Everything that you say, whether it be here...or there. Then it's something that can uh uh elicit out of you, or they can ask you to amplify. Uuuuuh And I use the word amplify because I saw "Godfather II" and Senator Geary was saying to Willie Cicci, "Mr. Cicci, can you amplify on that, remark on being a button?" "A button, you know, Senator." "No, I don't know." So, at any rate, uuuh there's certain things that um you know, are privileged because of First Amendment, here, First Amendment rights as a journalist, and these- And it's funny that I'm actually really a journalist, right now. I mean, I do comedy, but having that radio show, and doing your show, as a special correspondent, I have the protection of being a journalist. And so there's certain things that I can't talk about, and you have three options: you can either say everything that you know, and if you say something that may be true and somebody else says something different, you can get it for perjury. So, I gotta be very careful, especially doing- I have a motor mouth, you know. I'm all over the map. Craig Murray, the ambassador to the- [laughs]

DICKER
I saw his quote.

CREDICO
Did you see his- [Craig Murray, of course, tried to put out a false story of meeting an inside leaker, and first promoted this on Credico's show; the piece referred to here is: "Russophobia Goes Comic" https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2017/12/russophobia-goes-comic/ ] So, it was funny. I have a- I forgot, but he pretty much characterized me in-

DICKER
I think he was saying you're the kind of guy, if anybody wants to keep something, get something out in the open, tell Randy the secret.

CREDICO
Right. Right. If it's secret, you'll know it right away. I'm a big blabbermouth. So...I- You got that, and then, you got the Fifth Amendment, and then you get immunity, and then you- I mean, there's so many-

DICKER
Fifth amendment only counts if you have reason to believe you could be accused of a crime. Charged with a crime. You have to have a basis to-

CREDICO
Well, they're saying, you cannot- I'm just saying that option that a- a witness has, is the Fifth Amendment, or to talk, frankly, and possibly get yourself in hot water, because you don't know what's coming! You know what I mean?

DICKER
But do you know anything that would have a material effect on all that's going on? Do you really have some secrets that you have to-

CREDICO
I can't even tell you that. There's nothing I can say about what I- what I could possibly know, because if I tell you that, one way or the other, then they can say to me, "Alright, you told Mr. Dicker, on December 8th, that- A day [sic] that will live in infamy," again.

DICKER
Let me ask you a different question. You won't tell us really a lot about what your lawyers are telling you. What's your agent telling you? Because it seems you're on the cusp of an opportunity, Randy, to become an even bigger national figure than you've been in the last couple of weeks. For instance, if you go to jail, it might really help you get some very good gigs. [Apple tri-tone sound]

CREDICO
You know, this one woman, reporter from "The Daily Beast", last name is Woodruff [Betsy Woodruff, who wrote "Russia Investigators Subpoena a Comedian. No, Seriously." link: https://www.thedailybeast.com/russia-investigators-subpoena-a-comedian-no-seriously ], I can't think of her first name. Not Judy Woodruff [longtime reporter for PBS News Hour program - the two Woodruffs are not related in any way], but something Woodruff. She said, when they go to D.C., next week, I should take out a room. She said it would be packed if I did my comedy there.

DICKER
Excellent.

CREDICO
I mean, I'm looking- I'm looking today on the internet. Here's the second New York Times story, as you said, and then it's linked me in, like I'm Elizabeth Bentley [American spy for the Soviet Union, who would later name a large number of Americans as spies], or something, or somewhere- Names that only you would know - Klaus Fuchs. You know, I'm somewhere-

DICKER
Whittaker Chambers.

CREDICO
Whittaker Chambers. This this this thing is really getting exaggerated- You saw that, "Russiagate Goes Comic" [sic], by Craig Murray, but you know, I- There's a fact- "Facts You Should Know About Randy Credico", you can see this on the internet ["Randy Credico: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know" http://heavy.com/news/2017/11/randy-credico-roger-stone-julian-assange-wikileaks/ ]. Someone put this up. Facts you should know about Randy Credico, and it lists like five facts. And then it goes into the explanation, like in big bold, with pictures and everything-

DICKER
Very nice. Let me ask you this about your agent, if I could. Why didn't your agent get you a part in that series, that's on Amazon TV, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"? Have you see any of that? Did you watch that last night? You told me you might.

CREDICO
No no, I'm going to see seven- When you said there were seven episodes, I saw the seven movie [sic], uh with uh what's her name, Julie Roberts [sic], the other day, and it was pretty good [no idea what he's referring to here], when I was talking to you, so, I'm going to watch on Amazon-

DICKER
This series I mentioned, you'll find fascinating.

CREDICO
I'm definitely going to watch it, the thing is, you want some straight truth, Fred, if there are seven episodes, I couldn't start watching it at ten o'clock at night, because I knew I had to get up early this morning, and-

DICKER
To be on this show. We're talking to Randy Credico, who's a comedian, who's a political activist, he's a well known figure in political circles in New York, and- He's really a national figure, now, under subpoena by the House Intelligence Committee. Have you followed what went on here yesterday, with Andrew Cuomo, he's reached a new level, a new depth, I would say, of shutting out public information, and the press. Where even though he was in Albany, Randy, he wanted to have a supposed press conference to rail against the Republican tax plan. And he wouldn't allow the press to come and see him, they had to call in by telephone, he's done this before, he's starting to do this on a regular basis, even though he's there, they have to call in, and then one of his aides tried to plant questions with one of the reporters, and then they shut off reporters trying to ask follow-up questions. It's a level of secrecy that we've seen before in state government.

CREDICO
If he wants a real quiet place, where nobody's going to go in, I would say any one of the subway stops, because the trains are not going by these days. Uuuh and he just finds a place in the corner there, he'll be all by myself, and the press won't find him, because, you know, the press doesn't take the subway, because they can't get around, it doesn't move.

DICKER
The commuters might ask the governor, since he controls the subway system, why things are so bad. So I-

CREDICO
He'll blame it on De Blasio. He blames it on De Blasio when we know it's the MTA, that's secret- And now the guy that worked for him, the last commissioner. Who was- [Thomas] Prendergast? Is that his name? He's now got a huge job, what a surprise, with this Danish firm, or is it a Swedish firm? Tanaka, or Sanaka or something [sic - STV Group, originally Seelye Stevenson Value & Knecht, and based in the U.S.], and so he went straight from there to- from Albany to this huge job, probably makes ten times what Percoco is making at MSG. How is Joe Percoco doing, by the way?

DICKER
Well, it's a month away from the start of the trial, so I wouldn't think he's doing too well.

CREDICO
I wish him well, I understand what he's going through, on a different level. Fred, I don't sleep well at night. When I wake up, it's always as if I ate a lot of radishes the night before, or cheese puffs, or something, because my stomach is so...it's so, you ever gone fishing, Fred, and you're like, on one of those wavy boats? And you know, you tumble, and your stomach turns? Not-

DICKER
Fortunately, I don't get seasick. I've had other people out with me, and they've gotten seasick, it's not a pleasant thing to go through-

CREDICO
Well, that's what it's like. That's what I feel, most of the time. Seriously. Just the anticipation, one week away, not knowing what we're going to do, what-

DICKER
Randy, you don't face any serious penalties, you don't face prison, you're not alleged to have participated in a crime-

CREDICO
Yeah, but I'm now associated- I'm now out there- You know there's this antipathy towards Trump, he's got a lower approval rating than Cuomo, okay? So, which is pretty low, and- nationally, thirty two percent, people, you know, blame Stone for getting him and then, if I'm the conduit, they can blame me too, so, I mean, you get excoriated, I'm Quasimodo, basically, I can't go out in public.

DICKER
You're getting blackballed by the very people who would normally be your friends. I mean, even the Times described you as a left-wing comedian.

CREDICO
Left-wing comic.

DICKER
Your bona fides are established, so why do you associate with the likes of Roger Stone?

CREDICO
Uh cuz uh same way, you take, uh let's say, Kunstler knew Roy Cohn, you know? And uh Louis Nizer. Or, you know, people he disagreed with. Stone is a- is an interesting figure-

DICKER
He is.

CREDICO
He's an interesting figure.

DICKER
You're open to all kinds of people. Hey: you and I are friends. So, you're open to all kinds of people.

CREDICO
Yeah. You and I are on opposite sides on many issues, some that we're on the same, but uh-

DICKER
Second Amendment.

CREDICO
The thing is- [laughs] Yes, [inaudible] is all I'll say. But, free speech. I know you're a big free speech guy.

DICKER
Absolutely.

CREDICO
And you know who's a big fan of yours? Is the most left wing person in my family, my cousin, Ken. My cousin Ken Dursa, who basically wing- I came under his wing, he's about eight years older than I am, and he is just like you, he has that same radical past. But I don't think he drifted away from it, too much, but- He absolutely enjoys your show, and listens to it on a regular basis.

DICKER
Send him my best. I'll give him a shout out.

CREDICO
-SDS, a former SDS speaker, you know, you organized that Bill, "Free Billy Smith" movement back in the Seventies, when he was at Fordham, and- Very radical guy, but, you know, he really loves your show. You know?

DICKER
I headed two SDS chapters. I think you knew that.

CREDICO
Right. I know. He looked- I sent him-

DICKER
My blacklisting letters from the U.S. Coast Guard?

CREDICO
Yes. Alright. So, you know, you're like one of those guys that- You can think on both sides. Actually. You can put your mindset on both sides, and be an honest broker, and...you understand where I'm coming from, and so-

DICKER
Randy, let me ask you something. We're running out of time [discussion moves away from Assange, Wikileak, subpoena]