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.

[Howlin]

You all need to LOOK at what that paper is saying.

Do you think they are insane?

[Pegita]

Thanks, blackbart ... the Clinton machine is suspect to me, too ... they have the expertise, the money, and a worldwide network ... whatever is needed. What is intriguing is this: "she (Cline) went to prosecutors with information about Limbaugh AND OTHERS" ... surely would be nice if the Clinton machine AND OTHERS could be wrapped up into one nice package.

[Fred Mertz]

So Rush goofed on Sunday, it took several days for that story to build up enough steam to force his resignation, and now this comes out. My! My! What a coincidence!

I noticed that Wesley 'Hillary' Clark was one of the few political figures calling for his firing re: his ESPN situation. I never got a chance to watch Rushbo on ESPN.

Say it ain't so, Rushbo.

[Timesink]

I further hope that ALL Conservatives realize that THIS IS WAR and act accordingly!

We won't, trust me.

[WHBates]

Resign from what?

[jocon307]

"I don't believe a word of this bullsh**!"

THANK GOD! NEITHER DO I.

My goodness, no wonder the left wins so many battles. The people here are buying this story, hook, line & sinker. Let us all remember that Carol Burnette won a libel judgment against National Enquirer, and it is not in the running to replace the NY Slimes as the "paper of record" any time soon.

Further, this is a Daily News story, but it doesn't seem to be anything beyond a re-hash of the Enquirer tale.

As for Bennett, one may not approve of gambling, but he too waved the white flag way too soon. He did nothing illegal, and if one thinks gambling is immoral, it is just as immoral to play $1.00 on the lottery as it is to wager $1,000,000.00 in Las Vegas (or where ever) no more, no less provided one can afford the loss. Unlike many, the Roman Catholic religion does NOT teach that it is immoral to gamble, Bingo would be the most obvious example of this. But if you live in New Jersey like I do, there are many others, from limited ticket sale raffles with High Stakes prizes, to 50/50s which are endemic here at Church Fairs, and pretty much any other fund raiser.

The stinking left and the government they seek to impose on us advertises and advocates gambling everywhere and anywhere, they even run the book themselves, and then they have the gall, the brass-bound gall (as my mother would say) to castigate Bennett for gambling. And he lacks the spine to say "Shove Off!"

And now this thread of weak sisters, already mourning the downfall of Rush. Well Rush has had a big hand in making the Right what it is today. And we better all stick by him, and listen to him on short wave if that's what it takes.

I see Terry McCauliffes fingerprints over everything that has happened the last few days. These are the desperate moves of cornered RATS. THEY ARE TRYING TO TAKE OUR FREEDOM AWAY. DOES ANYBODY GET THIS?

[Fledermaus]

Rush doesn't need fans like you immediately convicting him for stupid allegations from a left wing tabloid.

Please do us all a favor and avoid jury duty.

[Robert_Paulson2]

I find this story to be absolute bull crap.
LOTS of folks get addicted to pain killers and rich folks can get hooked on drugs.
BUT, when they do, they can ALWAYS shop a doctor to get them what they need... or whatever they want.

They would NEVER need to stoop so low as to use a housecleaning lady...

What else can I say?

[GOPrincess]

"Perhaps a ping to "the great one" will help. Do you know Mr. Levin's exact spelling of his handle?"

I don't, but that's a great idea. Perhaps someone else knows. If not, maybe go to NationalReviewOnline and see if there is a link to email him there? He published a column on the Wilson/CIA story yesterday.

[ApesForEvolution]

I thought Rush' contract was with Clear Channel?

[TheConservator]

My 2 bits:

1. Don't judge this story until you hear Rush's reaction. If he comes out and says its completely false--it probably is completely false.

2. There are a lot of details about this story that do not jive with what people know about Rush, how he sounds, how he has been acting, etc. Even if the story is not completely false, it is almost certainly embellished.

3. I don't buy the "the Enquirer couldn't print it unless it were true because it would be sued" line of reasoning. Rush is a public figure. To sue the Enquirer and win, he would have to show actual malice. Actual malice means proof that the Enquirer published the story knowing that it was false. Which means the Enquirer can publish any story somebody comes to it with, unless the Enquirer learns to a near certainty that the story is not true.

4. The "something" to this story, if there is a "something," could easily be that Rush for a short time, several years ago, while he was having his ear problems, did get hooked on some pain killer. In other words, something Rush won't be proud of, and makes him look bad, but is not a catastrophe.

[nopardons]

This IS a set-up and yes, papers sometimes print these sorts of things anyway.Since the Daily News is only reporting about what the maid said, it isn't " LIBEL ". They can't be sued, because they, the newspaper, didn't call Rush a known drug addict. They get around that, by saying that the maid said .....

Now, I've had housekeepers for decades and none of them would know how to, nor would they get me illicit drugs, if I were stupid enough to ask them to do so; which I am not and wouldn't do. So, the point really is, how come Rush's maid, whom he'd only hired a few weeks previously, asked her not only for some of her husband's meds, but to be his personal drug getter ?

Why would any wife take some of the pain pills, that her husband had been prescribed, and GIVE them to anyone else ? What about her husband's pain and suffering ?

[des]

joke--right?

[ntnychik]

Ping

[Texasforever]

Yep almost as bad as the FR lynching going on with Arnold tonight. It appears the mob is feasting. Conservatives had damned well better hope that there is no there, there with Rush because this is serious stuff for the coming elections.

[Pro-Bush]

you obviously can't read..how unintelligent of you. Go back to post #115, will ya?

[Cold Heat]

I was not aware that any doctor would give that much orally.

The oxy base dose is one 20 mg time release pill. This much will affect your reactions somewhat and makes you a bit goofy at first. The pill comes in sizes up to 50-60mg if I recall.

BTW, this stuff is not for really bad a deep pain, it gets through. You go to morphine for that. They make an oral version called Oramorph. The dose is similar to OxyContin.I used it for a while, but there is noway anyone could tolerate 900 mgs unless they had been on it for many years.

BTW, the addiction problem is irritating but you can break it on your own.

[hmmmmm]

Thanks, that's a great idea!

[Timesink]

hmmmmm, PLEASE POST THAT AS A SEPARATE THREAD! NOW!!

[Yaelle]

So, you have him convicted?

No, I just saw a moment of levity in an otherwise very sad night. I hope to G-d this is all lies.