Exclusive Julian Assange Interview With Cenk Uygur (12/22/10)

Transcript: http://tinyurl.com/24nwcxu

Cenk Uygur (host of The Young Turks) interviewed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan show. They discussed critics of Assange, the treatment of Private Bradley Manning and more.

Portion of Transcript:

CENK: Well Julian I want to get to as much as possible here so I want to give you a chance to respond one by one to your critics, first to Mitch McConnell who is of course the leader of the Republicans in the Senate and to Joe Biden who both said that called you a high tech terrorist how do you respond to Joe Biden the Vice President of the United States saying that to you?

JULIAN: Well let's look at the definition of terrorism, the definition of terrorism is a group that uses violence or the threat of violence for political ends now no one in our four year publishing covering over 120 countries has ever been physically harmed as a result of what we've done. Now that's not just us saying that, that's the Pentagon saying that, that's NATO and Kabal saying that. No one, not a shred of evidence. Now believe me if they could find or even easily manufacture a shred of evidence they would be doing that immediately so it's clear that whoever the terrorists are here it's not us. But we see constant threats from people, Republicans in the Senate trying to make a name for themselves, to people like Sarah Palin to Shock Jocks on Fox and unfortunately some members also of the Democratic party calling for my assassination calling for the illegal kidnapping of my staff and just a few days ago on Fox that was the phrase that was used "illegal, he should be illegally murdered if necessary, assassinated by the law if possible if not illegally" what start of message does that send about the rule of law in the United States? That is conducting violence in order to achieve a political end the elimination of this organization or the threat of violence to achieve a political end the elimination of a publisher and that is the definition of terrorism.

CENK: Now I want to give you a chance to respond personally though because here Mike Huckabee is making it very personal you saw that quote we had up, he says "I think anything less than execution is too kind a penalty for you" Sarah Palin saying that you are like Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and that you should be pursued with the same urgency so how would you respond to Mike Huckabee who is a top Republican leader, likely to run for President again. How would you respond to Sarah Palin, top Republican leader who might run for President again?

JULIAN: Oh it's just another idiot trying to make a name for himself, but it's a serious business I mean if we are to have a civil society we cannot have senior people making calls on national TV to go around the Judiciary and illegally murder people that is incitement to commit murder that is an offense you cannot have senior people on national TV asking people to commit an offense. That is not a country that obeys the rule of law. Does the United States obey the rule of law, because Europeans are starting to wonder whether it is still obeying the rule of law and it needs to be very careful is it going to descend into an anarchy where we don't have due process where those great Bill of Rights traditions about due processes thrown to the wind whenever some shock jock politician just thinks that they can use it to make a name for themselves? Or do we take things according to laws expressly made by the people and their representatives that is the way things should be done and when people call for illegal deliberate assassination and kidnapping of others they should be held to account they should be charged for incitement to commit murder.

• Category

  News & Politics

[TheHorsenation]

great interview!

Assange is right: HUCKABEE and these other guys who call for obviously ILLEGAL acts on TV (assassination, kidnap, etc) NEED TO BE CHARGED AND STAND TRIAL!!!!!!

[diadora74]

He's not an opponent of the US though. All he did was embarrass certain parts of the US government. He and his cause are an asset to the American people. He is standing up for our rights to know what the government, which is supposedly of the people for the people, is actually doing. Democracy can't function without such knowledge.

[Jose Diaz]

this powerfull people, that have the power now are the same people in power inthe past , but we have to understand, they existed in the past , and we exist forever , it means now!!, we are not in accord with their ideas of division, only the bad guys divide the blessed ones, our beloved,!

[Jose Diaz]

this guy is our history, he exposed his life for our future!, research and you will know , dont stop listenning to your boss, go on and learn and you will understand , is our childrens future, in a smart way , taking a rock out of their way , God in our learning,!

[Frisbieinstein]

Assange terrorizes corrupt assholes with the prospect of imprisonment.

[Frisbieinstein]

Why doesn't he charge Huckaby?

[Frisbieinstein]

To you?

[littlemissdimples88]

"Good evening, Hank" hahaha XD

[Mistor Moniteur]

The only thing that matters in the media world is investigative journalism, and i'd say CNN is pretty poor in that arena.

[john silver]

when can we lock up Huckabee???? when can we turn on these fuckers???

[john silver]

Assange is not charged with anything as yet, some parts of the media are calling for his death. government officials calling for his kidnapping and death. look at how unfair, how miserably transparent this attack is.