NY Daily News: Rush Limbaugh in Pill Probe -- Talk radio star had drug habit, maid sez

NY Daily News & Drudge ^ | October 1, 2003 | Tracy Connor

[lainie]

Talk-radio titan Rush Limbaugh is being investigated for allegedly buying thousands of addictive painkillers from a black-market drug ring.

The moralizing motormouth was turned in by his former housekeeper - who says she was Limbaugh's pill supplier for four years.

Wilma Cline, 42, says Limbaugh was hooked on the potent prescription drugs OxyContin, Lorcet and hydrocodone - and went through detox twice.

"There were times when I worried," Cline told the National Enquirer, which broke the story in an edition being published today. "All these pills are enough to kill an elephant - never mind a man."

Cline could not be reached for further comment yesterday, but her lawyer, Ed Shohat of Miami, said his client "stands behind the story."

The Daily News independently confirmed that Limbaugh is under investigation.

His lawyers, Jerry Fox and Dan Zachary, refused to comment on the accusations and said any "medical information" about him was private and not newsworthy.

They said Limbaugh - who has a top-rated syndicated radio show but resigned early today from a weekly ESPN football segment amid criticism of racial comments about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb - was traveling and had no comment.

The Palm Beach County state attorney's office, which is running the probe, said it could not confirm or deny the allegations.

Scoring in parking lot

Cline told the Enquirer she went to prosecutors with information about Limbaugh and others after four years of drug deals that included clandestine handoffs in a Denny's parking lot.

She said she wore a wire during her last two deliveries to the conservative commentator and gave the tapes to authorities.

She also gave the Enquirer a ledger documenting how many pills she claimed to have bought for him - 4,350 in one 47-day period - and E-mails she claimed Limbaugh sent her.

In one missive, Limbaugh pushed Cline to get more "little blues" - code for OxyContin, the powerful narcotic nicknamed hillbilly heroin, she said.

"You know how this stuff works ... the more you get used to, the more it takes," the May 2002 E-mail reads. "But I will try and cut down to help out."

The account Cline gave the Enquirer is that she became Limbaugh's drug connection in 1998, nine months after taking a housekeeping job at his Palm Beach mansion.

It started after her husband, David, hurt himself in a fall, and Limbaugh asked how he was.

"He asked me casually, 'Is he getting any pain medication?' I said, 'Yes - he's had surgery, and the doctor gave him hydro-codone 750,'" Cline said. "To my astonishment, he said, 'Can you spare a couple of them?'"

Husband's pills

Cline said she gave Limbaugh 10 pills the next day and agreed to give him 30 of her husband's pills each month. When the doctor stopped renewing the prescription in early 1999, Limbaugh allegedly went ballistic.

"His tone was nasty and bullying. He said, 'I don't care how or what you do, but you'd better - better! - get me some more,'" Cline said.

The housekeeper said she found a new supplier and arranged to hide Limbaugh's stashes under his mattress so his wife, Marta, wouldn't find them.

After several months, Limbaugh told her he was going to New York for detox and didn't need any more pills, Cline said.

But a month later, he said his left ear was hurting and asked her for hydrocodone, followed by an order for OxyContin.

Limbaugh, 52, suffered from autoimmune ear disease, a condition that left him deaf and had to be corrected with cochlear implant surgery two years ago.

Cline said she continued to make deliveries to Limbaugh even after she quit as his housekeeper in July 2001 - but he became increasingly paranoid, even patting her down for recording devices, she said.

In June 2002, Limbaugh told her he was going to New York for detox a second time.

After he returned, "I went to talk to him, and he cried a little bit," she said. "He told me that if it ever got out, he would be ruined."

She claimed that a lawyer for Limbaugh gave her a payoff - $80,000 he owed her, plus another $120,000 - and asked her to destroy the computer that contained the E-mail records.

Soon after, Cline and her husband retained Shohat and contacted prosecutors.

[lainie]

I bet it means nothing, but I keyed in to "for three decades" again today. LA Slimes is saying Arnie groped women "for three decades" and on Monday this Wilson character's wife supposedly was said to have been a CIA op "for three decades" (although she's only 40 years old).

[MJY1288]

This story is laughable, If the cleaning lady gave Rush the pills from her husbands prescription, how did she get the thousands of other pills. She claims in this story that she contacted the investigators after Rush said to destroy her PC. This story has holes big enough to fly Air Force One through

[quidnunc]

Wild Irish Rogue wrote: The involvement of the State's Attorneys Office and the potential tape and e mail trail,plus a cooperating witness could be devastating .This isn't just an embarrassing gossip story- Rush appears to be in enormous legal trouble.He could survive the ESPN mess,but,I don't see how he gets past this.

I believe how much trouble he might be in depends largely on whether he used intimidation to get the maid to supply him with the pills.

If he did he could be in a world of hurt.

[GOPrincess]

Somehow it's scarier seeing it in print... Seems like the DAILY NEWS wouldn't risk a lawsuit, while the ENQUIRER has been known to throw caution to the winds.

I feel like all the pieces don't fit, but I'm uneasy about a comment elsewhere in the thread, maybe this is the reason he caved so quickly at ESPN. I hope not. The pieces just don't all seem to fit to me. I'm going to be pretty devastated if this turns out to be true.

I can't imagine what is running through Rush's mind tonight...

[Sir Valentino]

Spew York is *full* of sleazy doctors who'll write a *prescription* for pills (and are then AFAIK bound to maintain confidentiality, just as are lawyers)??

The *PROBLEM* is that he would still have to *FILL* the prescription at a *PHARMACY*, where the *CASHIERS* could *LEAK* the *INFO*.

[Junior_G]

I can't imagine him a dealing in the black market for pills. The man's a multi-millionare!

Yes----but I think the fact that he's a Republican would make it more likely that he'd go black market if this is true. Liberals would just go to their friends and family for the drugs.

[GeronL]

Actually I think they could scream free speech if they were sued for libel. Lots of liberal judges out there would make up the rules...

[Pukin Dog]

I believe that even IF is too strong to suggest right now. We are talking about RUSH LIMBAUGH here.

[Rokurota]

Why does this feel like a war?

Don't kid yourself. Right now the liberals are slaughtering. Nobody is standing up...certainly not Rush. It's a full out massacre.

[sandpit]

This story is so outrageous, it has to be a setup. Wilma Cline sounds like a made up name to me. Maybe Rush is pulling a big one on the left-wing media. I don't get to listed to him very often, but he's never sounded really wacked out.

I thought painkillers were supposed to be very toxic to the liver. Severe liver problems would be noticed by anyone.
How could his wife and close friends not know.

I've taken narcotic painkillers for my back before. I couldn't take more than 2 a day without being in a trance.

Today will be a big news day for sure. I don't get off work til 6am, guess I'll have to stay up all day watching the news.

[lainie]

I know! It's all quite weird.

[jocon307]

"And if Rush gets caught in the South Florida legal system, God have mercy on his soul. That's Janet Reno's old stomping ground"

Amen to that. And it was bad before her, and I'm sure it's still bad.

But, this guy does have the do-re-mi, that is one thing.

I still think this story sounds a little fishy, to tell you the truth.

[beaversmom]

I smell the Clintons all over the so called "leak" story but not over this one. The story may not be as exactly as reported in the NE but I have a feeling this one is true. I hope not but nothing surprises me really anymore. Very sad and very disappointing.

[Lurkd Long Enough]

This beckons a question: Where the hell was she getting all these pills???

She may be the middle-man. Perhaps that's why she was wired by the investigators -- to snuff out the suppliers. Buyers got caught up in the sweep.

[Prince Charles]

Someone should start a prayer thread for Rush... he needs that support.

[XHogPilot]

The moralizing motormouth was turned in by his former housekeeper - who says she was Limbaugh's pill supplier for four years.

In one missive, Limbaugh pushed Cline to get more "little blues" - code for OxyContin, the powerful narcotic nicknamed hillbilly heroin, she said.

Gee, is this a case of libel or truth! Gotta be one or the other...

The final clue... The Palm Beach County state attorney's office, which is running the probe, said it could not confirm or deny the allegations.

[Fledermaus]

Oh come on...do you think Rush could have gone to rehab and it be kept secret?

I doubt someone accused of sending a maid out to buy "prescription drugs" (yeah, lots of drug dealers meeting in Denny's parking lots have pure pharmaceuticals) and sending her e-mails she could keep, save, print out, forward, etc. would be able to keep a rehab visit from the media.

And I listen to Rush enough to know, if that was the case, he must then be the most extrodinary human being on the planet getting totally detoxed in two to three weeks since he's never off the air that long.

[dinok]

"I am betting that anyone could sign up for a free e-mail address, RushLimbaugh213@yahoo.com or something."

E-mail can be tracked on people's PCs. If this is criminal the invstigators have confiscated the PC's and are going over them.

I bet you this woman smelled money and either helped manufacture this, or she was approached to set Rush up. The price of fame and daring to oppose the democrats.

Interesting, but Rush will be off today.

[CaptainK]

Cline said she continued to make deliveries to Limbaugh even after she quit as his housekeeper in July 2001 - but he became increasingly paranoid, even patting her down for recording devices, she said.

Well since she did wear a wire I'd say he was perceptive, not paranoid.

[Hildy]

I agree. My husband has been on pain pills from time to time. Whenever he goes on them, he gains weight. When I heard drugs, I thought speed because of the weight thing. Wow, no matter how you slice this, it's bad. I hope the whole thing is just made up or grossly exaggerated. The only thing I can think of is if this woman is such a drug dealer...where on earth was she getting so many pills...than maybe giving up Rush was a way to make a deal with prosecutors. Who knows.