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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

Posted on 10/01/2003 10:41:34 PM PDT by 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.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: addiction; afraidofrush; algorelostgetoverit; claslessdailynews; dailynewsnoclass; danzachary; edshohat; hitpiece; jerryfox; limbaugh; nationalenquirer; nydailynews; recovery; rush; rushlimbaugh; sleazydailynews; tabloidjournalism; talkradio; terrifiedofrush; wilmacline; wodlist
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To: Yaelle
heartbroken...hope it's not true..
301 posted on 10/01/2003 11:45:26 PM PDT by Queen Jadis
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To: Central Scrutiniser
Bull, I know plenty of people addicted to pot. I know, I've taken away their stash and had them calling me begging for it back in a few days.
302 posted on 10/01/2003 11:45:57 PM PDT by Fledermaus (What's the point anymore?)
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To: Fledermaus; cherry
Wow, I agree with you on 2 different threads in one night! Rush most certainly has, zillions of times that I can remember, expressed his views on those issues!
303 posted on 10/01/2003 11:46:02 PM PDT by ApesForEvolution ("The only way evil triumphs is if good men do nothing" E. Burke)
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To: DittoJed2
THIS MAKES NO SENSE...This woman went to the cops in 2002. Are you telling me he didn't know...his lawyers didn't know????
304 posted on 10/01/2003 11:46:08 PM PDT by Hildy (SUCKER: Short-sighted Uncompromising Conservative Kool-Aid-drinking Elitist Republican.)
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To: WhistlingPastTheGraveyard
Why does this feel like a war?
because it is.

305 posted on 10/01/2003 11:46:30 PM PDT by Robert_Paulson2 (robert... the rino...)
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To: Howlin
They are reporting an accusation - what do they have to go on except the fact that there is an accusation?

The papers are covered.
306 posted on 10/01/2003 11:46:52 PM PDT by CyberCowboy777 (I talk of Freedom, You talk of the flag. I talk of Revolution, You much rather brag.)
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To: Howlin
Howlin, one last time, because it's past my bedtime.

Four years ago, the media was reporting that Oral Sex was not really sex, that there was nothing wrong with the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES getting blow jobs in the oval office, because it was a private matter.

Do I think they are insane? I'll let you answer that.

307 posted on 10/01/2003 11:46:57 PM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: lainie

PS: All this stuff about Rush is a vast right wing diversion to take heat off the White House for LeakGate, and heat of Arnold4Governator anyway...< /sarcasm>


308 posted on 10/01/2003 11:47:11 PM PDT by Keith in Iowa (Tag line produced using 100% post-consumer recycled ethernet packets,)
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To: DittoJed2
900mgs?

OK, take 100 pills a day as an experiment! kidding

309 posted on 10/01/2003 11:47:29 PM PDT by GeronL (The War is not the Presidents hobby!)
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To: WHBates
Let me put it in simple terms...Step down, and walk away from his radio show.

..Again for all newcomers, only if this accusation is true.
310 posted on 10/01/2003 11:47:29 PM PDT by Pro-Bush (Homeland Security + Tom Ridge = Open Borders --> Demand Change!)
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To: Timesink
"hmmmmm, PLEASE POST THAT AS A SEPARATE THREAD! NOW!!"

I second the motion. The Gore connection seems pretty darn coincidental to me.
311 posted on 10/01/2003 11:47:39 PM PDT by GOPrincess
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To: Pukin Dog
Howlin, if you were Rush's lawyer, would YOU comment? That would be very unwise. The story isnt even out yet.

You damn right I would have. Even if it was to say something like "Rush is very excited about owning two news sources by the end of this week."

And if you don't think the story is out yet, turn on Katie Couric in about 4 hours.

312 posted on 10/01/2003 11:48:01 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: exit82
Everyone knows Rush doesn't sleep on just any mattress--he sleeps on a Select Comfort bed!

:) :) :)
313 posted on 10/01/2003 11:48:22 PM PDT by adam_az
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To: Fred Mertz
Fred Mertz wrote: If this story was about you or me wouldn't we be under arrest?

It all depends.

This is a really unusual case in that the most serious allegation that I've seen so far seems to me to be that Limbaugh used intimidation in order to coerce the maid to get him illegal drugs.

OxyContin abuse came on the scene after I retired so I don't know what schedule it's on as an illegal substance.

For instance, cough syrup containing codene is a scheduled drug but you're not going to get busted just for abusing it.

I don't know Forida law at all so I don't know hjow seriouis thes offense — if it really happened — might be.

And there's always the possibility that the snitch wants to get her hand into Rush's deep pockets.

314 posted on 10/01/2003 11:48:46 PM PDT by quidnunc (Omnis Gaul delenda est)
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To: Howlin
Let's leave sanity out of this. If I remember correctly, you've helf no fondness for El Rushbo, right?
315 posted on 10/01/2003 11:48:53 PM PDT by ApesForEvolution ("The only way evil triumphs is if good men do nothing" E. Burke)
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To: Pukin Dog
ANyone who thinks this could be true must have their heads examined.

Well it's hard for me to accept this too but I am a realist. The Enquirer is not my idea of a reliable news source but they would not print a story of this magnitude against a powerful man like Rush unless there was something to it.

Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. Notice the news that broke on Arnold about his groping of some sleazy whores who are looking for their fifteen seconds of fame.

316 posted on 10/01/2003 11:49:16 PM PDT by slimer (i'm mad as hell and i'm not going to take it anymore!)
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To: ApesForEvolution
I thought Rush' contract was with Clear Channel?

It is, now. When he first went national around 1988 or so, however, Clear Channel barely even existed. His home base was WABC, and still is technically. Just as Sean Hannity broadcasts all three hours every day from WABC.

It would sure be nice if Rush, Hannity, and all the other conservative Clear Channel syndicated hosts started agitating with CC to start pulling ABCNEWS affiliations from their stations, moving their shows off Disney-owned stations, etc, in retaliation for the ESPN smear. The amount of cash it would cost Disney would be huge. Vey hugh and series.

317 posted on 10/01/2003 11:49:24 PM PDT by Timesink
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To: Yaelle
Sort of like your hope that AS is not, what did you call him? Oh yeah a misogynist?
318 posted on 10/01/2003 11:49:57 PM PDT by Texasforever
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To: wirestripper
I thought she was on pills of 150 mgs, but I may be wrong. She had the Oxycontin pill and then Oxyfast or something like that for breakthrough pain. She had a herniation in mid spine that flattened the spinal chord and has pretty much wrecked her life. Had operation on that in January but still is experiencing some severe pain. Is seeing a specialist now to determine the pain, but she's no longer on that high of a dosage to my knowledge (I know for a fact that she voluntarily stepped back as much as possible). Incidentally, her weight has almost doubled since being on the medication.
319 posted on 10/01/2003 11:50:08 PM PDT by DittoJed2 (Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it,derived from our Maker- John Adams)
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To: TheConservator
Thanks for the advice. My original post was 2 links to background info of the "maid"'s lawyer and his connection to the other side. Something isn't right in this story and until we hear it from the "horse's mouth" we can do nothing but speculate. While awaiting those answers it can't hurt to become informed :). I hope you read the 2nd link I posted.
320 posted on 10/01/2003 11:50:12 PM PDT by hmmmmm
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