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Posted on 10/04/2003 2:30:53 AM PDT by bikertrash2
The man who claims, along with his wife, that he provided Rush Limbaugh with an illegal supply of painkilling drugs for four years has a criminal record.
David Cline was arrested in Palm Beach County in April 2000, during the time he and his wife Wilma allege they were buying thousands of pills for the radio star, the Palm Beach Post reported. He was charged with identity theft, having a counterfeit or stolen driver license and a false vehicle registration, possessing marijuana and resisting arrest.
Rush Limbaugh's Palm Beach mansion (Photo: WPBF-TV, West Palm Beach, Fla.)
The paper said David Cline ended up with a combined sentence of time served, 18 months probation, community service and court costs.
In 1982, Cline was arrested for cocaine trafficking in Collier County, Fla., the Post said. He skipped bond, according to the paper, and lived as a fugitive in New York and Fort Lauderdale under assumed names until he surrendered in 1989. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
Limbaugh, the most listened-to radio talk-show host in history, is under investigation by Palm Beach County prosecutors, the National Enquirer reported this week.
The probe was confirmed by numerous news agencies, including the Associated Press.
The drug allegations came on the heels of the embattled radio star's resignation from ESPN for his comment that a black star football player is overrated by the media.
The supermarket tabloid reported Wilma Cline, 42, who served as a housekeeper, said Limbaugh went through detox twice and was addicted to the highly potent prescription drugs OxyContin, Lorcet and hydrocodone. Cline said she handed over information to Palm Beach County, Fla., prosecutors, who reportedly have given her and her husband immunity.
According to the Enquirer story, the Clines claim they sold Limbaugh 11,900 tablets over six months in 2001. They said they eventually got nervous, however, and contacted noted Miami criminal defense lawyer Edward Shohat, who took them to Palm Beach County prosecutor James Martz late last year.
Shohat is known for his defense of narcotics dealers, including Colombian drug lord Carlos Lehder.
Under immunity, prosecutors used the Clines to arrest Louis and Gloria Beshara last May. The Besharas are believed to be the source of the Clines' illegal supply.
The National Enquirer's Editor-in-Chief David Perel has not said whether he paid the Clines for the story, but acknowledged the tabloid has a regular practice of paying for interviews.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel quoted a defense attorney, Michael Salnick, who said the Clines might have credibility issues that would weaken the case against Limbaugh, because they spoke with the Enquirer before the investigation concluded.
'Trust me on this'
Meanwhile, Limbaugh spoke briefly about the drug allegations in the opening monologue of his much-anticipated program yesterday.
"I don't yet know what I'm dealing with here, folks," he said. "When I get all the facts, when I get all the details of this, rest assured I will discuss this with you and tell you how it is."
Limbaugh said he was tempted to respond to what is being reported about the allegations in the press, but would not at this time.
"Trust me. It makes no sense for me to go there," he said. "Trust me on this."
President Bush expressed support Thursday for Limbaugh to his top staff, according to the Drudge Report, calling him a "great American," who has championed the conservative movement for decades.
"I am confident he can overcome any obstacles he faces right now," the president reportedly said.
Rush Limbaugh on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown
The Enquirer, according to the Drudge Report, is considering releasing Internet audio tapes of Limbaugh made by the former housekeeper, who said authorities gave her a wire to record conversations during her last two deliveries of pills.
It is unlikely she would be able to release such recordings, however, and covertly recorded tapes made on her own would be restricted under Florida's tough wiretap laws.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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That comes to be about 65 pills a day - which would leave him comatose and then probably dead.
Anyone else see a problem with that number?
BTW, the same principle applies to those who are obese. Many "compassionate" liberals try to say that it is genetic, a disease, something that cannot be helped. But is that compassionate? Hell no. It's essentially condemning people to a lifetime of needless misery and ostracization. It's making an excuse for them to be fatter and fatter because you see, they just can't help it. It's in their genetic makeup.
Well truly compassionate people say BS to all of that nonsense. You CAN overcome your weight problem if you put your mind to it. I've done that for myself just this year, taking my fat body from 300 pounds to 212 pounds (and still going strong). In fact, I'm about to embark on a 10-12 mile hike in about 10 more minutes and I'm going to see the sun rise over New England on a crisp fall morning. Six months ago, I couldn't make it halfway down my street without huffing and puffing. Good thing I didn't listen to those "compassionate" liberals who wanted to tell me that it's okay to be fat, it's in my family genes, I can't help myself, etc.
BTW, welcome to Free Republic.
Rush is clear eyed, clear thinking, hasn't any memory problem.
This is the line that gets me. Sounds like the LAT story about Arnold that they had for a long time before they decided to print it. Geez, those democrats aren't obvious are they?
Their legend seems to live on stronger now than ever
"I don't yet know what I'm dealing with here, folks..."
In addition to the weasel wording above, Rush also offered a red herring to the effect that the effect that the story in the media keeps changing by the hour. Both were the statements of someone with something to hide. Rush doesn't need to know what prosecutors know or what the media is saying to know the truth. That he isn't telling is telling.
Then in addition to his drugs tapdance, he and many listeners managed, via the ESPN flap, to morph into the Dixie Chicks complete with myriad whines of their loss of freedom of speech.
Truly a sad day.
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