Roy Black Interview with Joe Scarborough Re: Rush Limbaugh (in toto)

Scarborough Country ^ | 1-14-04 | Roy Black & Joe Scarborough

[Matchett-PI]

"Scarborough Country" Thursday, 1-15-04, 10:00 to 10:30pm EDT.

Transcribed by me from my personal audiotape:

Host: Joe Scarborough: "[Garbled] Rush Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, joins us for his first primetime interview on Rush's legal battle. Roy is also an NBC analyst. Thanks for being here, Roy."

Guest: Attorney, Roy Black: "That's my pleasure, Joe."

Scarborough: "I want to begin, now we've heard over the last couple of months that Rush Limbaugh was involved in a drug ring, he was involved in laundering money, he's been doctor shopping, buying boxes of pills from his maid in a parking lot, and on and on and on. What's [garbled] ..at the top of the show, has your client Rush Limbaugh, been charged with any crime?

Black: "Absolutely not. And you know, it's really sad that in this country the state attorney's office running this investigation, has somebody in their office leaking all these stories, really, planting false stories in the press, to make them look good in an attempt to discredit Rush, and I think it's really embarrassing to the system of justice."

Scarborough: "Do you expect Rush Limbaugh to be charged with any crime by the Palm Beach prosecutor's office in the near future?"

Black: The problem we have, Joe, is I've talked to them a number of times, and for ten months they had absolutely no interest in Rush at all.

They understood his situation but once this hits the news, once it hits the Enquirer, once it gets carried around the country, they have candidly told me they have been inundated with emails and calls and letters, and now they feel they have to do something.

And that's why you see this continuous switch from one thing to the next, and now they've latched onto this alleged doctor shopping as sort of their way to make it look like they're doing something with Rush Limbaugh.

But let me tell you, there's absolutely no basis for any prosecution here, let alone for this doctor shopping statute.

Scarborough: "By the way, I think it's a big media conspiracy, we're having some audio problems. So stick with me, they tell me the control room will have it fixed soon.

Now, both you and Rush have accused the prosecutor's office of leaking information to the press. Here's what Rush said today:

Video clip: RUSH: "..and this Edmondson guy, my attorney, Roy Black, in the medical records hearing, said that Mike Edmondson is an informant in the State Attorney's Office. He's a secret source for the Palm Beach Post newspaper, and he's apparently on the case, still."

Scarborough: "Roy, how do you know, what information do you have to tell you that he may be the one leaking these stories?"

Black: Well, through a sort of a slip, one of the reporters actually told us that Edmondson was the one planting these stories in the press.

As soon as I heard that, I immediately fired off a letter to Barry Krischer, who is the elected state attorney in Palm Beach County, asking for an internal investigation to determine whether that was true or not.

Edmondson then conveniently went on vacation for a period of time, but now he's apparently back.

By leaking stories, by leaking information about this particular statute, there is a subsection of it that makes it a crime to do that.

We have continually asked that this be investigated, but we have yet to receive the courtesy of a reply.

Scarborough: "Of course do you have any information from any reporters down there where these leaks are coming from?

I mean is it this guy? Do you think it's the prosecutor's office plus other sources outside of that?"

Black: No, I think it's coming directly from this one gentleman in the Palm Beach County state attorney's office who was continually planting these stories in the press, did it with ABC News, did it with the Palm Beach Post, with even MSNBC so we know it's happened a number of times.

As I said we've asked for an investigation. None has been conducted as of this date.

Scarborough: "Let me ask you this, in all your years of practicing law, and you've obviously represented some very, very high profile clients, have you ever had a client who faced so much public scrutiny by the prosecution and the press BEFORE he was ever charged with a single criminal crime, with a criminal count, a single one?"

Black: "Well, there's no question that this is somewhat unprecedented, but the medical records issue in this case is even more unprecedented.

They have gone to lengths that I don't think they have done with anybody else that I've seen in my 33 years practicing law, particularly for someone who's not charged or not suspected of some outrageous crime. But for going into rehab? For admitting he had an addiction problem? And this is the kind of scrutiny and investigation he gets?

I think this is totally uncalled for."

Scarborough: Why? Why is he facing this scrutiny? Is it because he's such a huge talk radio super star or do you think there may be a political element to it?"

Black: Well, what they've told me is that they've gotten this sort of overwhelming public response, that, you know, he's a celebrity, people want to see things done, so I'm sure that at one side of the political spectrum is certainly sending in their wishes to the state attorney's office asking that something be done about Rush, and I think that's why they're pushing ahead with it.

They told me originally they had no interest in him.

They knew that he just was dependent on medication because of his medical problems, he volunteered that he had a problem, and went into rehabilitation, with everybody else that ends the matter.

In fact, there's a Democratic state senator in this state who was caught forging prescriptions. She went to rehab and they dismissed the entire matter against her.

There is clearly a double standard when it comes it Rush Limbaugh."

Scarborough: "So why the change in the state prosecutor's office? Why did they tell you in the beginning, 'We're not interested in Rush Limbaugh', and now all of a sudden, they seem to have turned up the heat?"

Black: "Well, I think they're concerned about the public perception. They're concerned that - not about what facts there may be, but the fact of who he is.

And if they don't do something, I think they're afraid that people are going to look upon them as kow-towing to somebody who's well known.

The irony is, here they're worried about being perceived of using a double standard, when in fact, they are really DOING a double standard.

Because, you know, nobody else, under these circumstances, would face this scrutiny this investigation [garbled] has based any kind of a case."

Scarborough: "Now, if you're just tuning in, we're talking to Roy Black - an exclusive - he's Rush Limbaugh's attorney, of course.

We're having some audio problems, but we're gonna get that fixed.

Roy, you know the number one priority for a lot of defense attorneys is to keep their client's mouth shut. How hard is it for you as an attorney to get a client like Rush Limbaugh, who has this incredible audience and this incredible platform, and this incredible ability to communicate, how hard is it to keep him quiet?"

Black: Well, Joe, Rush and I made a deal at the beginning of the case, he doesn't tell me what to do in court and I don't tell him what to do on his radio show.

So Rush is going to say what Rush wants. I mean, the man is incredibly focused on doing a show, his research skills are amazing.

This is a guy who I really enjoy representing, and I really can't give him a lot of advice on how and what to say in his radio show. So it can be a little frustrating because lawyers don't like their clients talking about anything regarding the case, but I certainly can't say that, anything like that to Rush."

Scarborough: You know, a few weeks back the Palm Beach Post revealed an investigation that showed only one time in the last five years where prosecutors charged somebody in the county with 'doctor shopping'. And that case never went to trial. What does that say to you, and to other observers, of this Rush Limbaugh case?

Black: "Well Joe, there's really no basis for the doctor shopping charge.

You know, 'doctor shopping' means that you're going to a doctor, not for a medical purpose - not for treatment, but solely to get a prescription. And then you go to a number of doctors to do that. And either you sell the drugs, or you use them, whatever it may be.

In EVERY SINGLE CASE where Rush Limbaugh went to a doctor, it was for a legitimate medical reason. He has been diagnosed as having chronic, intractable pain. He needs pain medication.

You know there's a lot of people out there criticizing him because he's taking a lot of pain medication, but let me tell you - if you're not in pain, it's easy to criticize.

However, those people out in your viewing audience who have suffered from back pain, or chronic intractable pain, they know what this is like, and how serious it is to have this medication.

So, you know, it all depends upon how you look at this, but I can tell you this; Rush did not go to these doctors just to get prescriptions, he went there for legitimate medical purposes."

Scarborough: "You know Roy, it's interesting that you say that, because in 1999 when I was still in Congress, I sustained a back injury, and I had INCREDIBLE pain. Now I had been an insurance defense attorney five years before that, and I always criticized people that would get in car accidents, come in, and then, I thought, tried to milk the system. Boy, I got paid in triplicate for that, 'cause the pain was excruciating. And the surgery I got - I undertook, took care of the problem. But I know for a lot of people, they do turn to pain medication.

Answer me this question. Because I had some people come on this show talking about prescription drug abuse, and telling me that the laws are the same for somebody who gets a prescription drug legally and abuses it, as it is for somebody that takes crack, or heroin, or something else. Is that the case in the state of Florida and across the country, or are there different standards for prescription medication abuse?"

Black: "Well, clearly Joe, there are different standards. Florida, and I think about thirty or forty other states, have what are called, 'intractable pain statutes', which allow doctors to give extra medications to people who are suffering from chronic, intractable pain.

These are people who cannot solve their problem through surgery. And that was the problem that Rush had - the surgeries were unsuccessful. He had a tremendous amount of pain. The only way that it could be treated was with pain medication.

And one of the problems here, is that one of the drugs that he was prescribed was OxyContin, which was marketed as athe least addictive pain medication, when it turned out to be one of the most addictive. So, it is hardly surprising, that somebody, through years of using pain medications would become dependent on them.

And it's easy to criticize when you're not suffering pain like this. But there's a lot of people out there in this country who suffer from pain, and they know the only relief they have is through this pain medication. And you know what? Sometimes they may become dependent on it, or a lot of them do. But it's better than the alternative of suffering through this horrible, chronic pain."

Scarborough: "Roy, how long have you been practicing in south Florida - criminal defense law?

Black: "Well, a little over thirty three years."

Scarborough: "And I take it that you've run into this Palm Beach state attorney well before the Rush Limbaugh case, right?".

Black: "Certainly. And Barry Krischer was, generally speaking, I thought, an excellent prosecutor."

Scarborough: "Are you surprised by, I mean, for those people that don't understand how liberal Palm Beach county is, can you explain the political climate down there? Would he face a political firestorm if he didn't go after a conservative like Rush Limbaugh, that, after all, has decided to build this huge mansion really in the middle of one of liberalism's biggest enclaves in the south?"

Black: "Well, Joe, you know, I really don't want to make accusations regarding political influence here. What I can tell you, is they have admitted to me that they are concerned about the public perception that all the messages and emails they have gotten - they even told me a number of how many they have gotten - you know - it's a huge number, so ..."

Scarborough [interrupting]: "I gotta cut you off, there, though. That's not what they're charged with doing, though. They are supposed to look at Florida statutes - not look at people's emails that hate Rush Limbaugh.

And they're supposed to prosecute the laws based on the statutes that the legislature gives them. Is that not the case?"

Black: "I think ..."

Scarborough [interrupting]: "That is a pathetic reason to put anybody .. be it Rush Limbaugh, or, you know, a liberal, through this type of ringer just because they're facing public pressure."

Black: "Well, I think you're right, Joe, and I think it's, you know, certainly not a good thing that they're worried about the public pressure. I'm just telling you what's the matter of fact, that is what happened. I'm not saying I'm happy with it, but clearly Rush is being treated different than anybody else under these circumstances.

As you said, nobody else, except one person was ever prosecuted, and that case was dismissed. So its clearly not a high priority.

But once somebody like Rush Limbaugh shows up, and Rush is the ONLY one that would show up that they would do this with - they launched this investigation. And it's not just this! As you said, they origionally said he was involved in 'drug trafficing', which was laughable. Then 'money laundering', which was a joke.

And now they've moved on to this 'doctor shopping', and I think it is very unfair how he's being treated."

Scarborough: "And again, you say all three of these stories that found their way into the press all came from the same guy in the Palm Beach state attorney's office?"

Black: "At least I KNOW some of them did. I can assume that the rest of them did, because there was somebody orchestrating a campaign to discredit Rush. And certainly getting all these articles out - getting these leaks - these planted stories, certainly not only are embarrassing to him, but may affect his advertisers on his show. What better way to try to discredit him, try to silence him, than to do a campaign like this?

And you know what? You say that people shouldn't be prosecuted for things that nobody else would, but they also should not have their personal business and personal life destroyed through things like this, either."

Scarborough: "Well, you know, you talk about Rush's radio advertisers, and there's, let me, it's also a great way a state prosecutor to taint the jury pool isn't it? To have jurors that may be listening to a Rush Limbaugh tape already make their minds up before you make your opening arguments."

Black: "Well, we've been certainly concerned about that as well. Hopefully there never will be a case here, and I don't think there's any legitimate basis for there to be a case. But certainly it would be an improper use of the power of the state to try to influence jurors by leaking stories like this."

Scarborough: "You know, when the story of Rush's addiction first broke, you said that the maid who went to the National Inquirer actually tried to blackmail Rush Limbaugh. Ah, what evidence do you have of that?"

Black: "Well, John, I'm glad you asked me that because I was watching your show last month when their lawyer appeared on, and I think he said with a straight face, that Rush had given them loans or gifts of several hundred thousand dollars after the maid left his employ. And of course, he said that with a straight face, which is of course, simply not true.

What happened is, the maid and her husband, and the husband had been previously convicted of a drug crime, were extorting money from Rush Limbaugh by saying, 'Unless you pay us, we're going to expose your addiction to the National Inquirer.' And this went on for a substantial period of time. They obtained substantial amounts of money from Rush, and then subsequently were granted immunity from the state attorney's office which allowed them to turn around AND sell the story to the National Inquirer. So, I mean, it's really a pretty sad set of circumstances, here."

Scarborough: "And obviously, blackmail is a crime in the state of Florida, right?"

Black: "It certainly is. And the serious part here, is, I don't think that the state attorney's office knew about the blackmail that was going on, and then when they granted immunity to the Clines, and then later on found out about the blackmail, I think this put a serious crimp into their investigation and their use of them as witnesses."

Scarborough: "You know, normally when celebrities have problems, and we can go down a very long laundry list of celebrities that have had prescription drug problems, they get an hour on Oprah or Barbara Walters. Why do you think Rush Limbaugh is being treated so differently?"

Black: "You know, Joe, that is an excellent question. There are dozens upon dozens of celebrities - we all know people who've admitted they had addictions with prescription drugs - who went into rehabilitation. I don't recall a single instance, when after they admitted this that the state attorney had police officers go in with search warrants - into their doctor's offices - seize the records - and return them and then try to use those records to make criminal cases against them.

It seems to me, that it's a lot more important in this country that people feel free to admit their problems, to go into rehabilitation and straighten out their lives, than to frighten them and their doctors by using search warrants and then taking - ah, putting this information in the public record where it was shown throughout TV stations in this country. I think that was totally unprecedented, and Rush is the only person who's suffered like that."

Scarborough: "Yeah, I agree with you. One final question for our viewers. How is Rush doing? You talk to him a lot, and can you tell us in a way that won't, ah, that won't obviously cut in on your attorney-client priviledge, how he's doing out of rehab, and back on the show, and ready to face this challenge?"

Black: "Joe, I'm glad you asked me that, because Rush volunteered that he had this problem. He went into rehab for three weeks, for five weeks, excuse me. Every day since then he has been working on this with his personal physician. He has not relapsed in any way - he's working at it hard. He is one of the hardest working men I've ever worked with. I'll tell you, I didn't know much about radio before this, but to watch him, and the research he does to prepare for his show, is just wonderful to watch. I thought I did more research than anybody I know, but, but, he far out-strips anything I do. So I will tell you it's a real pleasure. And he's holding up well under this - of course it's affecting him and his family, and you can imagine what it's like having stories like this. But the man is very well focused and tough, and I know that he will see this through to the end."

Scarborough: "Alright. Roy Black, thank you so much for being with us and please let Rush know that he's certainly in our thoughts and in our prayers every day."

Black: "Well, Joe, thank you for inviting me and letting me speak my piece about this."

Scarborough: "Alright."

End transcript of interview.

[Matchett-PI]

Landmark Legal Foundation Seeks Documents from Palm Beach Prosecutor

[ 2004-01-15 ] HERNDON, Va., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Landmark Legal Foundation today filed a freedom of information request with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office (SAO) seeking any and all information of communications to or from the SAO or any of its employees and outside individuals or groups relating to Rush Limbaugh.

Mark R. Levin, President of Landmark, stated: "We want to know why Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer waited 10-months before investigating allegations against Rush Limbaugh -- only after stories appeared in the National Enquirer.

We're concerned that once the story became public, Mr. Krischer, an elected prosecutor, may have been pressured to use extraordinary tactics and resources to punish Rush for his viewpoints."

Levin added: "As the details of this investigation have appeared in the media, they've become increasingly troubling.

False news stories claimed Rush was being investigated for money laundering and for a role in a drug ring, among other things.

And now, Mr. Krischer is pursuing Rush on a 'doctor shopping' theory, for which he has no evidence, which is why he seeks access to Rush's confidential medical records.

'Doctor shopping' was not a priority of Mr. Kirscher's office prior to now. His office only brought such charges in one previous case, which was eventually dropped after the subject of the investigation died.

Even elected prosecutors must, at all times, be above political influence.

Mr. Kirscher's judgment raises serious questions about the impartiality of his investigation."

Levin said further: "There also are numerous leaks coming from 'sources close to the probe' which are obviously intended to smear Rush.

It is a felony in Florida to leak investigative information.

Michael Edmondson, Mr. Krischer's spokesman, has been accused in open court and on television of being the source of some of these stories.

Despite this 'journalist shopping,' Mr. Krischer has taken no steps to investigate and prevent these leaks.

And Mr. Edmondson remains his trusted spokesman.

Landmark will file suit against the SAO if it fails to produce the requested information."

Landmark Legal Foundation is a public interest law firm with offices in Herndon, VA and Kansas City, MO, and was founded in 1976.

SOURCE Landmark Legal Foundation -0- 01/15/2004 /CONTACT: Mark Levin of Landmark Legal Foundation, +1-703-689-2370/

CO: Landmark Legal Foundation ST: Virginia, Florida IN: ENT SU: LAW

MV-JV -- DCTH047 -- 2441 01/15/2004 15:09 EST http://www.prnewswire.com

[Matchett-PI]

((((PING))))) for the COMPLETE transcript

[No!]

Wow....
They'll be sorry they messed with Rush and Mark, I predict

[HoundsTooth_BP]

Boy, I hope so. If they can get away with this illegal or unjust practices with such a respected superstar radio host as Rush, what will they do to others who try to speak out who have little money to defend themselves?

[CyberAnt]

"they have been inundated with emails and calls and letters, and now they feel they have to do something"

Under the FOIA, LLF can find out where these letters, emails and phone calls came from. Anybody want to bet on how many DNC people are among this bunch ..??

If Hillary is involved in this letter writing campaign .. I wonder how fast this case will quietly go away ..??

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Excellent question. Savage called Rush the 'aircraft carrier' of talk radio, saying that Rush has been taking most of the heat for everyone else. If he sinks, that could just be the beginning. In Modern America, there are so many laws, everyone breaks laws constantly without even knowing about them. What if Hannity were caught having batteries in his trash can? Poof! Like magic, he could be in the same mess. And when we enter the realm of employer/employee relations, its a legalistic nightmare.

That's why I've been saying, 'The Rule of Law' is merely a tool to help civilized people function around each other. Law is not to be worshiped as a god.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

[This says it all]

'In fact, there's a Democratic state senator in this state who was caught forging prescriptions. She went to rehab and they dismissed the entire matter against her.

'There is clearly a double standard when it comes it Rush Limbaugh."'

[RS]

"There is clearly a double standard when it comes it Rush Limbaugh."

Sure is, in the first one, she was investigated, arrested and charged, and "fully cooperated" with the authorities...

[RS]

"Under the FOIA, LLF can find out where these letters, emails and phone calls came from. Anybody want to bet on how many DNC people are among this bunch ..?? "

I wouldnt pin my hopes on this, since Rush's involvement came out as part of the investigations regarding the Clines this is an "ongoing investigation" and nothing has to be released.

Although I wouldn't be surprised if Hillery's operatives "reminded" the investigators of Rush's involvement in the breaking of a law stated in the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986.

[Matchett-PI]

"..she was investigated, arrested and charged, and "fully cooperated" with the authorities"

Notice anything different here?

10-11-2002: Police charged Fort Lauderdale Democrat Senator, Mandy Dawson with fraud, alledging that she forged a prescription.

She had dropped off a prescription at a supermarket pharmacy, and before filling it, the pharmacist called her doctor to confirm it. The pharmacy found out that the prescription for 60 pills (of the painkiller Lorcet 10), had been altered to read 160 pills.

(The maximum sentence for a conviction on fraud charges in Florida is five years behind bars).

10-17-02: Mitchell Caesar, who heads up the Broward County Democrat Party, apparently is confident that the public will be very compassionate and forgiving if someone who has a personal problem owns up to it, and takes steps to help him/herself.

11-15-02: It is reported that she was told that if she completes a rehab program, the fraud charge will be dropped.

12-18-03:It is reported that Senator Mandy Dawson finished her drug rehab and the fraud charges were dropped.

Apparently Mitchell Caesar was right about "the public" being very forgiving, because when the fraud charges for prescription forgery were dropped after she completed her court-ordered rehab program, the media outlets and the state prosecutors' office in Broward County weren't bombarded with thousands of outraged emails, phone calls, faxes and mail from all over Florida, the USA, or off shore George Soros enclaves.

What rational person, without an axe to grind, would say that it is unreasonable to expect that same "public" to exhibit compassion and forgivness for Rush who voluntarily went into rehab - to try and find another way to deal with his intractable pain - and who hasn't even been charged with any crimes?

I'll tell you: NONE

[Matchett-PI]

"Rush's involvement in the breaking of a law stated in the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986."

Keep talking.

[RS]

You can read it on Rush's website ( don't have the links handy ) where he explains that the customers involved DID NOT KNOW that they were doing anything wrong - dosen't mean they did not DO anything wrong....

Also where he gave full cooperation with the investigation, and they did not persue any of the 60 or so customers but fined the bank 10 million.

Checkout the Money laundering act and you will find the portion where it is illegal to do exactly what Rush says he did - work with the bank to avoid the reporting laws ....

[Matchett-PI]

"If Hillary is involved in this letter writing campaign .. I wonder how fast this case will quietly go away ..??"

The Clintlione Family's fingerprints will not be found on anything.

If fingerprints are found, they will only be traceble to the DemocRAT'S dispensable useful idiots.

This will always be the case as long as the DemocRATS have their stooge (read: lawless/bought and paid for) prosecutors and judges positioned in all the right places.

BTTT

[Matchett-PI]

"..it is illegal to do exactly what Rush says he did."

Attorney Roy Black: "But let me tell you, there's absolutely no basis for any prosecution here, let alone for this doctor shopping statute. ... they origionally said he was involved in 'drug trafficing', which was laughable. Then 'money laundering', which was a joke. And now they've moved on to this 'doctor shopping', and I think it is very unfair how he's being treated."

Attorney Mark Levin [excerpted]: "...So, what is it that they're investigating? Let me put it to you this way... first we read the leak about money laundering, right? ... Then they asked the New York authorities, 'Are you investigating money laundering?' 'No'. .. Then we heard about a drug ring. What happened to the drug ring this DA was investigating? ... [now] they're investigating 'doctor shopping', OK? ... Now why do you think they're doing that? ...Because the entire other part of their so-called case, doesn't exist any more. ... that door's locked. ... So now, they are doing what we call, 'paper shopping' by looking at these doctor's records. And if you heard what I said earlier on this program, you would have heard the backgrounds of these four doctors, and how on its face, it's absurd."

Attorney Kendall Coffey: "..doctor shopping... [is] a class three felony to be going to different doctors within a 30-day period, without disclosing to one doctor that you're getting essentially the same prescription drug. ... there is a huge divide between users and traffickers....So it's a fair question to see why is this degree of intense effort being dedicated to somebody who, at worst, is apparently an addict who developed an addiction as a result of severe back pain. ...if he were just another guy who had an addiction problem, this would have been wrapped up weeks ago ... . What I expect .. that at some point ... they're gonna work out a deal that at the end of the day, despite extensive efforts... it is gonna be the same treatment that anyone else would have gotten - rich man or poor man ... that would seem to be the logical outcome here for Rush Limbaugh. .."

January 14, 2004 RUSH [excerpted]: "...What the ACLU did was ask the court for permission to file a brief ...The third paragraph ...is interesting. 'Prosecutors say their investigation is stalled until they are able to review the medical records, which they seized in November.'

Well, now, I'm curious about that. Why would the investigation be stalled? Whatever happened to this drug ring business that they were looking into? And whatever happened to this drug trafficking business that they were looking into, and whatever happened to the so-called money laundering that they were looking into?

They then go off on a wild goose chase seeking all of my medical records, not knowing what they're going to find, hoping to find something, and they call it doctor shopping? And now since they can't look at my medical records the investigation is stalled? Hmm.

Why, this puts an interesting spin on this. 'The elected state attorney, Barry Krischer has repeatedly insisted that (my) rights have been protected.' I guess many of you have had your personal and private prescription records leafed through on national television, while your rights have been protected as well. 'A spokesman, Mike Edmondson, said Tuesday that investigators have followed state laws since beginning their invest[igation].'

Well, then why did the appeals court rule in our favor?

'Spokesman Mike Edmondson said Tuesday investigators had followed state laws since the beginning of their investigation last year, after Limbaugh's former maid told them she was his longtime drug supplier.' I wonder how long they knew that and didn't act on it. Because they had no intention of acting on it.

I mean, they're even quoted in the Palm Beach Post last October as saying they had no interest in acting on this, the chances of prosecution are nil. So what changed? And what happened to all that? Why now are they stalled on their doctor shopping?

And this Edmondson guy. My attorney, Roy Black, in the medical records hearing, said that Mike Edmondson is an informant in the state attorney's office. He's a secret source for the Palm Beach Post newspaper, and he's apparently on the case still.

At any rate, folks, the news yesterday was...we'll call it favorable. You know, it's a long process, and you take two steps forward, maybe a step back here and there. But nevertheless an appeals court, the Florida state Fourth District Court of Appeals ordered the state of Florida to surrender my medical records yesterday, to not look at them, told them that again, and sent them to the court in camera, which means the judge holds them under seal. They took them away from the state attorney's office to ensure that they were not looked at.".

[CyberAnt]

"dispensable useful idiots"

I'm aware of that .. but whether actual fingerprints can be found or not .. the fact that most of the people will be members of the DNC .. could prove to foster Rush's contention that this is strictly a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, and not because of any supposed criminal activity on Rush's part.

That's the point I was trying to make.

[CyberAnt]

Please understand .. what LLF is requesting in his FOIA document, IS NOT PART OF THE INVESTIGATION.

Why is this so difficult for people to understand. The AG is a PUBLIC office .. the guy is ELECTED TO OFFICE .. and all phone calls of any general nature that are NOT PART OF A CASE are considered PUBLIC PROPERTY and they are subject to release through the FOIA. These calls, emails and letters were supposedly people who were contacting the AG, encouraging him to go after Rush. THAT IS NOT PART OF THE INVESTIGATION. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT WITNESSES .. etc. ALL THOSE DOCUMENTS ARE OPEN FOR INSPECTION.

I know this because I worked as a Deputy Sheriff and certain information was private and certain information was classified as PUBLIC. Believe me when I say that LLF has the right to file an FOIA request and receive the information.

[AndrewC]

Since 1986, broker-dealers, like other financial institutions, have been subject to the criminal provisions of the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986. This made money laundering a crime in and of itself. MLCA prohibits an individual from "knowingly" engaging in, or attempting to engage in, a "monetary transaction" in "criminally derived property" valued at $10,000 or more. A defendant need only know that the money involved is derived from some criminal activity, not that the funds were derived from any specified unlawful activity. MLCA also added new provisions to the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, including a specific prohibition against "structuring" transactions to avoid the impact of the BSA's reporting threshold. The MLCA provides for up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount laundered.

Exactly how criminal is talk radio in the mind of RS? I'm sure that is where Rush got the money to put into the bank. Money is laundered to hide the source of the money. Furthermore, structuring a transaction to avoid the reporting would be using two transactions of $5000, to avoid the reporting and not one transaction of $9999.

[CyberAnt]

It sure does .. and I loved the AG's reasons for pursuing the case against Rush .. because he got phone calls, emails and letters encouraging him to look into it.

Wow! Is that a setup or what??

The only phone call or email or letter which is valid is someone who says "I know something". Otherwise, communications from outside are just that .. communication. They should never be used as justification for pursuing or not pursuing a case.

[Matchett-PI]

Having an LSD flashback, are you?

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but your personal attacks against Rush only have credibility with other dope heads who also despise him because he didn't, doesn't, and won't help promote your agenda (legalizing drugs) to his vast listening audience.

You may as well rant and rave amongst yourselves about him, because the rest of us already know what your agenda is, and we merely find your obsession laughable.