Carcieri breaks silence on 38 Studios tonight on WPRI 12

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Don Carcieri said he'd talk about 38 Studios soon - and tonight he will.

The former governor sat down with WPRI 12's Tim White on Thursday morning for an exclusive one-on-one interview - his first since last spring's dramatic implosion of Curt Schilling's video game company, which received a $75 million loan guarantee from Rhode Island taxpayers on Carcieri's watch.

"I will take responsibility for approving the deal," Carcieri said during a taping of WPRI 12's Newsmakers. "When I left office, it was just beginning. ... I have no knowledge and no input after that, and it looks to me from the outside that there was a lot of things that might have been able to be done along the way here to save 300 jobs."

• Timeline: 38 Studios
• 38 Studios: The Players

Carcieri discusses a wide range of topics, including his surprise and regret at what happened; how much blame he puts on his successor Lincoln Chafee, Curt Schilling and state lawmakers; and whether the EDC did enough to vet the deal in advance. He also has his own opinion about what should happen to bondholders.

Highlights from the Carcieri interview will air exclusively on WPRI 12 tonight at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., and the full extended interview will be posted online. The entire episode of Newsmakers will air at a special time Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on WPRI 12 (or after college football) in addition to its regular showing at 10 a.m. on Fox Providence.

Ted Nesi ( tnesi@wpri.com ) covers politics and the economy for WPRI.com and writes the Nesi's Notes blog. Follow him on Twitter: @tednesi