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.

[DittoJed2]

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

...The Daily News independently confirmed that Limbaugh is under investigation.

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

Then who in the heck did they confirm it with????????

[Pukin Dog]

WRONG.

The paper is only reporting an accusation. If the paper tommorow said "Pukin Dog thinks Yaelle sounds like an idiot". There would be nothing you could do about it. USE YOUR HEAD.

[Bubbette]

Say what?

[GeronL]

A newspapers wouldn't publish allegations such as this, as the could be sued for libel and defamation of character. There is some strong evidence or some part of this that will immunize them from a libel lawsuit

The newspaper cannot get into trouble. They are just reporting the allegations, true or not

[blackbart.223]

"I bet you this woman smelled money and either helped manufacture this, or she was approached to set Rush up."

Do you smell Clinton here? I do.

[hmmmmm]

:) Thank you but I can't really take the credit, Google did it all for me.

[Porterville]

He would have known about this today, and he was very strong on the air. I suspect it is Bull Shit and I am venturing to guess he will shows up tomorrow and clears this matter up.

[bluebunny]

No, he shouldn't resign!!!

[lora_one]

YES!!!!!! Big STINK!!!!!!!

[Cinnamon Girl]

It's not hard to believe. And it doesn't make him an "immoral hypocrite," as the media nuts are so quick to declare. Addiction is addiction. I've known an alcoholic my whole life who has a genius IQ and couldn't stop drinking until he was given prescription medications. Addiction is horrible and destructive. I hope Rush sees this as a national intervention and admits his problem and gets real help.

[DittoJed2]

I know of someone who has been on up to 900 mgs per day for extreme pain.

[Fledermaus]

Are you nuts? These folks have lawyers out the ying-yang that do nothing but specialize in defending their libel reporting?

And an "investigation" means nothing unless you know the full context of that investigation. Sounds like the maid got caught bying drugs so she rats out Rush and that gets some fired up 2nd assistant DA all foaming at the mouth about hyping his pitiful career.

Come on, use some cognitive reasoning.

[GeronL]

Rush would have quite a winning lawsuit if there is nothing to this COVER story

Against the maid, not the papers. They're just reporting the allegations, nothing wrong on their part

[Pukin Dog]

There is nothing for Rush to 'beat'. He is not an addict. ANyone who thinks this could be true must have their heads examined.

[Howlin]

Rush would have quite a winning lawsuit if there is nothing to this COVER story.

On two papers and Drudge.

They'd be out of business this week if they didn't have something to go on.

[Yaelle]

You are right. If Rush says that he is "not allowed to talk" about this, it's true.

Rush is probably reading these threads tonight to see what his truest fans think of him.

Rush, just come clean with us if any of this story is true. Get well, or perhaps you did, and STAY ON THE AIR, wherever you can. Choose honesty and join us in prayer for your humility in living this down. Look at it as another life lesson. You have let us down severely but we are forgiving. Keep going. It's not all over. You still have so much to offer. We don't want to lose you.

And if the story is BS, sue that paper into the GROUND, man.

[per loin]

I don't listen to Rush often. What has been his stance on the War on Drugs?

[lora_one]

Smell any fish here?????? Hmmmmm??????

[Timesink]

This is what happens when the right doesn't realize or accept the reality that total war has been declared against us by the left.

[ApesForEvolution]

On the one hand, I'm not surprised, because, believe it or not, greater men than Rush have been hooked on the narcs.

On the other hand, if not true, this woman is going to get laced up for telling a major whopper if she's not telling the truth and is a RAT stoolie.

If Rush is in deep, I pray he gets his act together, because his particular (alleged) addiction is pretty nasty.

If true, why is it that people never learn that the hole they desire filled can never be filled without putting in what was intended? A relationship with Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who died then rose again, taking the sins and pain of the world.

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul?

People in power need Jesus just to stay together...just like everyone else, but with a much longer way to fall and with many more lives at stake.