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Comedian Who Interviewed WikiLeaks’ Assange Called to Testify Before US Congress

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A New York-based comedian and civil rights activist who has been a frequent associate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has accused Washington of attempting to engineer a new “Cold War” with Russia after receiving a request of summons by the US House Intelligence Committee.

Randy Credico, in addition to his comedy and social advocacy, hosts a radio show called "Randy Credico Live on the Fly" that frequently features the controversial Assange as a guest. Assange, who has been confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012, has become the epicenter of a political firestorm after WikiLeaks published files leaked from the Democratic National Committee as well as Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta in 2016.

As a result, Assange has been embroiled in the Russiagate scandal and accused of acting as a proxy for Moscow. The Russiagate investigation casts a net so wide that Credico has been summoned to "participate in a voluntary, transcribed interview at the [House Intelligence] Committee's offices" in December. The letter was signed by the HIC's chief Russia investigator Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX) and the committee's ranking member, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).

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In an interview with RT's Caleb Maupin, Credico confirmed that he had indeed met with Assange in person in September and November 2017. He added that he even may testify before the HIC, but he would "use the protection of the First Amendment" if so.

"They are going after me, why? Because of my connection with Julian Assange. I have been interviewing him for the last year, year-and-a-half. I've had him on my show. I've been in the [Ecuadorian] embassy [in London]. And this is just another way of keeping this phony ‘Russiagate' inquiry alive."

Credico did not mince words about his feelings on the Washington establishment's pursuit of the faintest wisps of evidence supporting the narrative of collusion and Russian interference. "They can put me in jail, but I'm certainly not going to comply with this witch hunt, with this modern day McCarthyism, because that's all it is," Credico said.

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The comedian expressed doubts that Russian actors meddled in the 2016 election at all, referring to the allegations as "hyped up and exaggerated." He added that the amount of money spent on Facebook by alleged Russian shills — $100,000 — "would not get even a congressman elected or a city council member elected." This, Credico claimed, sinks the entire narrative of Russian collusion.

"[Washington doesn't] want a nuclear war, they want a cold war. You know, like they did [in] the '50s. The '50s were all about the Cold War, the Red Scare back then."

Credico concluded by saying that the Russiagate investigation wasn't an issue that voters cared about. Americans care about their schools, their jobs, their police and courts and prisons — not a phony Russian spectre. "You ask anybody on the streets right now the top 10 problems what they are concerned about… and I guarantee Russia will not even be in the top 20, top 30," he told RT.

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