HOUSEKEEPER DENIES LIMBAUGH BLACKMAIL CHARGE

The National Enquirer ^ | January 5, 2004 | DAVID WRIGHT

[Sarah]

Rush Limbaugh's longtime drug supplier Wilma Cline has angrily denied his lawyer's claim that she and her husband tried to blackmail the conservative talk show host.

Wilma, Rush's former housekeeper, spoke out as a judge in West Palm Beach, Fla., dealt Limbaugh, 53, a major blow by ruling that his medical records could be examined by prosecutors as part of an "ongoing criminal investigation."

It was the second setback for Limbaugh in 24 hours: Earlier a spokeswoman for his radio network revealed that behind the scenes his attorneys were trying to work out a plea bargain on charges of "doctor shopping" for pain pills -- a form of prescription fraud.

As the embattled radio pundit fought to keep his medical records secret, his nationally known attorney Roy Black made the stunning claim that Wilma, 42, and her husband David demanded $4 million to keep his pill addiction secret.

"Blackmail never crossed our minds -- we went to the authorities because we finally decided it was the right thing to do!" a shocked Wilma told The ENQUIRER.

And her attorney Ed Shohat told The ENQUIRER: "The Clines absolutely deny any allegation of blackmail.

"They turned over hundreds of e-mails and phone recordings to the prosecutors in which Rush Limbaugh never once referred to being blackmailed -- or even implied that there was any pressure being brought on him whatsoever.

"Rather, he was only interested in getting his hands on more pills."

The ENQUIRER revealed in a world exclusive story in October that in 2002, after Rush had been detoxed for the second time, he sent his attorney to Wilma's home to pay her the $80,000 he owed her for supplies of illegal painkillers. Four months later, Wilma told prosecutors, she was called to the attorney's office, handed another check for $100,000 -- and asked never to supply him with pills again.

"On both occasions, the attorney demanded that she sign a promissory note to make the money look like a loan," said attorney Shohat. "He claims he's being blackmailed, yet he forces the supposed blackmailers to sign a promissory note? It doesn't make sense.

"Limbaugh is desperately trying to deflect attention from what he did onto the Clines. But his own paperwork is going to refute his allegation."

-- DAVID WRIGHT

Published on: January 5, 2004

[Sarah]

oops. Hey, does holdonnow come around anymore?

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[capydick]

"Major Blow?" I thought "Major Blow" was what Roger Clinton did with his brother.

[leadpenny]

I'd say Rush has got some splainin' to do.

[Ingtar]

LOL - originally the story was that the housekeeper offered to help prosecutors in exchange for immunity. There was none of this, "coming forward as the right thing to do." It was all to avoid jail time.

[Howlin]

I'd say.


I still don't understand how he can try to make a deal BEFORE there are any charges. Is he trying to prevent the actual charges from being made public?

[Sarah]

I just hate to feel myself turning against him, but this just keeps getting uglier.
As I said in another thread, if The National Enquirer was making this up he should sue them.

[FormerLib]

Sounds like moveon.org is tossing some money around at The National Enquirer! LOL!

Yes, I know that it's hard to believe that such a presitious rag could be influenced by such a thing.

But I'm counting on the New York Slimes to quote this crap before the end of the week.

[NYCVirago]

This is an article by the Enquirer, who paid her five figures for her original story. What is she going to say -- yes, I blackmailed Rush? And I know very little about the cost of drugs, but it does appear that Wilma Cline was profiting bigtime just from selling the drugs to Rush. Why isn't Palm Beach County going after her for drug-dealing?

[newgeezer]

Rush Limbaugh.

Pete Rose.

Tsk, tsk.

[leadpenny]

Come on. The NE broke some stuff during x42's reign of terror and I don't remember anyone on this forum calling for the messenger to be shot.

[cwb]

Exactly. Something's fishy here:

"-- we went to the authorities because we finally decided it was the right thing to do!"

Yeah right...and that's why you would implicate yourself as a drug dealer? They were looking for a deal because they were on the hot seat.

[Sarah]

It's like he's going to let all this dribble out little by little.... his fans will keep along with him.... I mean of course he didn't launder money or resell these pills, it's just the ugliness of using his housekeeper. And I understand her fear of the law and her desire to save her own skin by turning Rush in. Like what should she have done, taken the fall for him?
Forget her politics, that's just normal behavior. And if he truly did use her for procuration then he deserves everything he's getting.

[Sarah]

Hey if it was such a great thing why didn't she just continue? Great side-line, only downside is the law!

[Howlin]

This is an article by the Enquirer

Who seems to be dead on this story so far.

[riri]

What is she going to say -- yes, I blackmailed Rush?

I know. And as for the email's not actually coming out and stating "The blackmail money will be there by 5pm Friday", come on.

And perhaps the blackmail was more implied. Something like "Gee, I'd hate for this to get out and have your career destroyed. Say, did I ever tell you I have a lot of financial worries..."

I don't know what the promisary note angle is. Seems like he may have thought it was some sort of CYA.

The man had-has a drug problem and many people on this board are angry that he wasn't conducting himself as a choir boy.

[Howlin]

They were looking for a deal because they were on the hot seat.

So what you're saying is that Rush is "on the hot seat," too?

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

So i guess because a drug dealer says hes guilty that hes guilty until proven Innocent huh?

No charges yet hes just guilty ?

I don't think could stand Sean Hannity for six hours a day I can barely stand Glenn Beck for 3 hours so if they railroad him into jail i hope they find someone worth listening to !

[Sarah]

You know, something about this just smells like the truth.
I think she probably did supply him willingly in the beginning (probably she felt sorry for him in pain and it was an emergency), then he probably did reimburse her for the pills and 'additional expenses' to add to her incentive to continue to get them for him.
At a certain point the risks outweighed the benefits and she realized that she'd already crossed the line between legality and illegality.
If all this is true, I'm with her.

[Burkeman1]

Yeah- I know what you mean. This is just getting messy. I am less willing to voice my support for Rush with each passing week. The irony of Rush trying to supress medical records after 8 years of criticizing the Clintons on suppression of all sorts of records including medical is not lost on me.

[Sarah]

'I am Rush, and I'm willing to negotiate!'

[Stallone]

Sarah,

I love pop tarts.

I'll bring the pop.

[riri]

I don't think could stand Sean Hannity for six hours a day

Nothing personal he seems like a nice guy but I can't listen to his show for very long.

I like Man on the Street and I like hearing what Dick Morris has to say but that's about it.

[mewzilla]

Book'em all, Dan-o.

[Sarah]

Let him broadcast from jail!

[Burkeman1]

'I am Rush, and I'm willing to negotiate!'

That is harsh!

[mrsmith]

You can search for a poster.

The "doctor shopping" charge against Rush doesn't seem to be going anywhere since he got his pills at only one doctor's office, the housekeeper got immunity because she was a low-level dealer caught in a drug investigation so she doesn't get much sympathy.

All Rush is stuck with is failing to meet standards of behavior which he agrees he should have met. Which is bad enough.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

"Blackmail never crossed our minds -- we went to the authorities because we finally decided it was the right thing to do!" a shocked Wilma told The ENQUIRER

Oh yea and a drug dealer is suddenly gonna get morality and a sudden sense of rightousness

Wheres he charges for trafficing the drugs ? being dropped ? or being swept under the table by the DNC?

What a load of complete horse crap ! even if Rush is guilty it still smells of horse crap !

[Sarah]

You need the context of Howlin's previous post.

[ambrose]

Makes sense. Once charges are filed, the prosecutor may be boxed into a position of not making any deals.

[Sarah]

I don't know if the Dr shopping is the problem. It's the extra black market pills that the house keeper was providing. I don't like how she coming out in this. If you read my posts it quite clear how she most probably slowly ended up with major legal fears and just acted logically to save herself.

[GrandmaPatriot]

To the best of my knowledge, Rush has never been elected to any office, unlike those he was criticizing. Elected officials should be accountable to their constituents. Private citizens need not meet such a standard. Since when are your medical records open to the public?

[cwb]

Obviously Rush is on the hot seat. I just don't buy the, "we finally decided to do the right thing" crap when they had been doing this for so long. Weren't they the ones being investigated, originally? I'll wait for the story to conclude before making my final judgments...BUT, I find it hard to believe that Rush would continue to lie when he knows his audience expects more from him. I can forgive him the drug dependency problem, being a chronic pain patient myself; but if he is lying about these peripheral issues, he will have lost me...and thousands of others, I would assume. Keep your pants on:)

[TASMANIANRED]

Smoking gun had his prescription refill list. Where is the photostat for the check for $100,000. I want to see it.

Besides if he was money laundering by withdrawing money in amounts less than $10,000 from his account where payroll was deposited. Wouldn't a single check for 100K have had the screaming monkey's descend on him???

[J. L. Chamberlain]

I'd say Rush has got some splainin' to do.

It was da pills, man...I's was high!

J

[Sarah]

Read it well, it looks like a BRIBE situation not a blackmail one.

[Sarah]

'but if he is lying about these peripheral issues, he will have lost me...and thousands of others, I would assume.' Keep your pants on:)

My feelings exactly

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Maybe they should drag deans records into court and See just how crooked he is if they can run Rush up on a rail why not dean i think letting a nuclear power plant go to crap is more dangerous than a few needed pain killers !

[Cicero]

The National Enquirer paid a lot of money to this blackmailer, so they don't like to see their story going down the tubes. The latest news is not that a judge opened the medical records, which happened some time ago, but that another judge sealed them for a while longer while Rush's lawyer argues his case.

All Rush is guilty of is getting hooked on prescription painkillers because of excruciating back pain. The rest of it is nothing but a liberal smear job.

[cwb]

It may be the truth...and if it is, Rush is in big trouble. Unfortunately, at this point, I am not willing to give her any more credibility than you're willing to give Rush. We'll have to wait and see.

[Sarah]

'All Rush is guilty of is getting hooked on prescription painkillers because of excruciating back pain. The rest of it is nothing but a liberal smear job'

I'm afraid that's wishful thinking

[Tribune7]

The National Enquirer is not making it up. What it is doing is quoting the housekeeper.

Now, is the housekeeper making it up? What motive can she possibly have for denying she is committing blackmail, a felony? (note that's sarcasm)

Secondly, it still strikes me as downright weird that a prosecutor will give up a supplier to go after a user.

[Howlin]

Oh, I'm not buying that at all. She never would have gone to the SA if she didn't at least get wind of something coming down, IMO.

The thing is that when Rush's attorney asked her to sign those notes and demanded that she produce her hard drive, she just may well have gotten spooked!

[Sarah]

Do you think his housekeeper had a sideline going as a pill pusher? Or does it sound more likely that as he ran up against a wall of too many pills being prescribed in his name she was asked to procure some for him... than it escalated to the point where SHE was breaking the law.

[Sarah]

Tell me, doesn't that sound like a bribe to you?

[rbessenger]

All I know is Rush spent the last few years jet setting around the country playing in lots of golf tournaments and now all of the sudden his story is that he was in excruciating pain.

There is a whole lot here that doesn't add up. If she has lots of e-mails then his goose might be cooked.

It does irritate to see so many jump up to excuse illegal and immoral activity just because he is a well liked conservative talk show host. Ten years ago he would be irreplacable but now there are lots of alternatives.

[Sarah]

What public, this is a possible criminal case and it's the state's (wished) evidence, not the public's

[mrsmith]

Don't think Rush caused her troubles. She and her husband were caught in an investigation of drug dealers.

They were given immunity. That is routinely done to get testimony about higher-up dealers. I never heard of giving immunity to get testimony about lower people in the chain- the users. That seems pretty unusual.

I guess you could see drug-dealers as "victims" of users- but I don't see any useful reason to do so. Maybe "victims" of drug laws; "victims" of easy money would be most accurate IMHO.

[Howlin]

Did this couple get caught up with the pharmacist investigation?

[Burkeman1]

Do you think his housekeeper had a sideline going as a pill pusher?

Exactely. Rush just happened to hire a housekeeper who was also conveniently a pill pusher as well? Not likely. She was most likely slowly dragooned into procuring his drugs for him and got deeper and deeper. I saw her attorney on a Fox show the other night- She consulted with him before she was suspected of anything by the police. Her attorney advised her to go to the District attorny and lay everything out on the table which she did including all of her and her Husbands financial records. She has made a deal with the district attorney that she and her lawyer won't discuss. And she did all this more than six months before the NE story. At least that is my understanding and none of it was refuted by the pro Rush panelists on that show.