Here are Mark Levin and Andrew Mc Carthy on Rush here.
And here's the Money Quote:
We are former federal government attorneys. We’ve collectively spent decades in law enforcement and believe passionately in its professional, non-political, non-partisan mission. Thus, it’s with outrage that we note that, rather than quietly dropping this embarrassment of an investigation, the state attorney, Barry Krischer—a politically active liberal Democrat—has insisted on filing a charge which he well knows will never be tried. Insisting, that is, on further media churning of an allegation of doctor-shopping that he’ll never prove.
Law enforcement officials say Rush Limbaugh was arrested today on prescription drug charges.
According to a spokeswoman for the State Attorney's office, Limbaugh turned himself in to authorities on a warrant issued by the State Attorney's Office.
The spokeswoman says the conservative radio commentator came into the jail at about 4 p-m with his attorney Roy Black and bonded out an hour later on a 3,000 dollar bail.
Get the rest of the story here.
Here's what Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, says about the case:
"I am pleased to announce that the State Attorney's Office and Mr. Limbaugh ahve reached an agreement whereby a single count charge of doctor shopping filed today by the sState Attorney will be dismissed in 18 months. As a primary condition of the dismissal, Mr. Limbaugh must continue to seek treatment from the doctor has seen for the past two and one half years. this is the same doctor under whose care Mr. Limbaugh has remained free of his addiction without relapse.
"Mr. Limbaugh and I have maintained from the start that that there was no doctor shopping, and we continue to hold this position. Accordingly, we filed today with the Court a please of 'Not Guilty' to the charge filed by the state. As part of this agreement, Mr. Limbaugh also has agreed to make a $30,000 payment to the State of Florida to defray the public cost of the investigation. '
60 comments:
On his radio program, Rush Limbaugh admitted that he was addicted to prescription pain medications. He was apparently using an elaborate system to obtain amounts of these drugs far beyond anything that the law would allow. He is also extremely well connected politically and quite well to do. In the end, he gets off with what amounts to minimally supervised probation and no criminal record. If a nineteen-year old high school drop-out did the same thing, would the criminal justice system respond in such a trivial way? As Bob Dylan once put it, "Money doesn't talk -- it swears."
westsidedavid,
You are right enough money along with fame and the right color and you too can get away with murder (see OJ).
David why are you such an absolute _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . You Soviet Cuban loving socialists can't WIN at the Ballot Box so you sick your ATTACK DA'S on your Political OPPONENTS, or should I say Enemies?
You Socialist Communists are the same here in the USA as you were in the SOVIET UNION, CUBA, NORTH VIETNAM, North Korea. Get used to being in the Permanent Minority,David. Of course you could be alot happier in Cuba.I'll drive the boat for ya, and then say BUH-BYE BUH BYE BUH-BYE.
kodiak:
I think your comment quite profound. However, it appears that I've hit something of a nerve with klatu. Ah, would that I had the power he attributes to me. I have no control over the district attorneys, either in Florida, in Washington, D.C., or even here in Oregon, so that I can not really claim any credit for the fact that they did charge Rush Limbaugh with a token criminal charge in a sweet-heart deal. What puzzles me is the equation that apparently underlies klatu's thinking. I believe that the law should treat people equally. The rich should not receive excessive favors; the poor should not be burdened with excessive punishments. Klatu seems to think that makes me a socialist, a communist, or some combination of the two. On the other hand, in most American courtrooms, the statue of justice is portrayed as blindfolded, signalling that she administers the law equally to all, regardless of their class position, wealth, or status.
Oh, my! Does that mean that the socialists and the communists have been controlling or legal system all these years?
Let's all hope that Rush dries out, stays clean and becomes rehabilitated, never to return to a life of crime. The fact that he denies doing anything wrong and bought himself out of this one is in keeping with the neo-con philospohy. As for Klatu, there is a boat waiting for your to go to China, you Maoist elitist.
C'mon, David. Several "celebrities" have also admitted to drug related offenses. Very few, if any, were subjected to a two and a half year long investigation. Best I remember, a couple got short sentences and after their treatment did not hold.
You don't think the Prosecutor being a Democrat had anything to do with it, do you?
Hey FizzyBoy---Maybe I can find a DA to go out after all _ _ _ _ _ _
at Scare America. As for China I don't go to Communist Countrys like you and your friend Hanoi Jane do,and I'm thinking of adding Multnomah County and San Fransisco to that list of Communist Countrys. I'll be glad to drop you and David off in CUBA. I'll meet you both in front of WAL-Mart.
Fortunately, hyprocrisy is not a crime. If it were, Rush and Klatu would be serving life sentences.
Once again...money buys you freedom.
The Judicial Industrial Complex in this country shows it's corruption in broad daylight!
How many 'ditto heads' would get the same kinda break as their cowardly leader?
Rush Limbaugh is a proud American, a republican conservative, a staunch supporter of DUBYA, celebrated radio talk show host, and most of all, a DRUG ADDICT!
This IS your republican "PARTY!"
Odd, I thought the left embraced DRUG ADDICTS!!! After all, aren't they the ones always wanting to legalize them? Oh, that's right, this is different. Rush Limbaugh is a conservative.
Since old Swimmer resides in the same county part of the time, I wonder how many DUIs and such his money got him out of?
Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.
What's wrong with DUIs. Bush has one and Cheney has two. They don't mean anything at al.
Lew, You missed one point about the Old Swiller, I mean Old Swimmer. Kennedrunk is also a Dumocrat. That carries a lot of weight with the hypocritical liberal. Rush is a staunch Conservative and therefore, by definition, a prime target for the arch-liberals.
loyalingrate:
Of Rush Limbaugh, you are right. I find the man a hypocrite. I am saddened that Limbaugh, more than anyone else, has set a prevasive standard of meanness. There were conserative radio hosts before Limbaugh. Paul Harvey for example, and no one would challenge his conservative credentials. But Paul Harvey did not dwell on meanness. And can one even imagine the old commentators, people like Lowell Thomas, Edward R. Murrow, Eric Severeid, or Walter Cronkite, unleashing the sort personal attacks that Rush Limbaugh uses? One key reason our parents and grandparents preferred these people was the sense of dignity these man maintained in their journalism. Rush Limbaugh forfeited that dignity long ago in favor of invective, although trying to put on an innocence so that he could ask rhetorically why his opponents were so vicious. He also has consistently used his way of defining himself to fend off criticism. While he talks politics, and speaks as if he has great authority, when challenged on the accuracy of his more absurd statements, he retreats to the notion that he is just an entertainer and therefore should not be expected to get things right because it is all just entertainment anyway.
Of klatu, however, I cannot say he is a hypocrite. To be sure, he is a crank, but he is not inconsistent. Virtually every time I post any comment on this blog, he fires back an outburst urging me to withdraw to Cuba or some other communist country. He is also consistent in other regards, such as creative spelling and casual grammar. Further, he consistently maintains a high emotional tone -- he is strident. Beyond these characteristics, he gives remarkable little by way of explanation. For example, why are we communists? Under a communist dictatorship, the government, not the marketplace, would decide which commentators get airtime. While I find a number of commentators offensive, I strongly oppose government control over the airwaves. I dislike much of what Victoria Taft has to say, but I do not want the government to silnece her. I adhere staunchly to the idea that Thomas Jefferson articulated, that the bold discussion of ideas is the best way to show the truth or falsity of those ideas. Klatu rails at this idea as communistic. Why? Well, the only reason I can discern is that I have spoken ill of a conservatie like Rush Limbaugh. But I contend that it is a very anti-communist idea that a private citizen is allowed to speak out against those with whom he disagrees. On several occasions, I've tried to get klatu to explain his ideas rather than just dismissing me as a communist. To date he has not seen fit to give a real explanation. However, rather than condemn him to even a figurative sentence, I merely ask him this question: why am I a communist merely because I believe that Rush Limbaugh received favorable treatment at the hands of the justice system because of his social power and his money?
Loyalingrate, thank you for your comments and for your patience.
Klatu, I await your reply.
westsidedavid,
The State Attorney's office went fishing in Rush's medical records of which I take a very dim view. Whether anyone else agrees or not a persons medical records should never be released to any agency that is on a fishing expedition. They are private and should not have been released in the first place.
I do not care whether you like Rush or not he should have never been subjected to a 2 year investigation and the release of his medical information in the manner that the State Attorney's office did.
One could say that Ruch was blackmailed into the agreement to keep any more of his private medical records to be made public. This may not be important to you untill it happens to you.
Kodiak, You are right about Rush. That States Attorney should be investigated by his state's Bar Association for his actions and the leakage given to the press before anything was done in court.
WESTSIDEDAVID: I call all of you extreme leftist "Communists" because you all agree with Central Planning and the Government Knows best Mentality which is what Communists do and did Preach to. Rush Limbaugh says the same thing. Maybe you like free speech and Movement, but you agree with everything else that Communism stood for. You say Victoria Taft shouldn't be talkin off the AIR, but all of your fellow Communists want to reinstate the "HUSH RUSH LAW" -- THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE -- You'll never get it. The LEFT always wants to Nationalize Private enterprise and put it under Government Control (HEALTH CARE) comes to mind. Banning Guns,taking away peoples property rights,Silencing Religion, forcing people to join Unions just to have a Job. This is what Castro does and what Communists around the world do and have done in the past. David 2/3's of the American People woke up in nov. of 1994 and there not going back, and david you and your fellow COMRADES will never get people out of their cars and into UNIONIZED Public Transportation. Does this help David? I'm glad you listen to Victoria, call in now and then. And try to call into RUSH 1-800-282-2882 he loves to have a Dialogue with Comrades in America.
To those Americans who don't work for the DNC, please remember that the dems have been caught several times (most recently at the mehico city...oops, L.A. Times) operating blogs under multiple names for the same person. westsidedip, eric,fizzymoron, commie-ingrate, and moron7 all chant the same anti-American nonsense, and represent the same person. The brain-dead ideological hack with many names still pretends that the sun rises in the west. The rest of us know that the number of subscribers to the leftie papers continues to drop sharply, and that airhead-america will cease to exist on 8/31/06, having lost the most anti-American audience in the country (NYC). Any insults to us, and America, can be dismissed, as should the garbage who wrote them.
Westsidedavid: Oh and David THANK YOU for saying that I"m consistant about you Leftists really being American Communists. Have a nice Socialist, Workers, Communist a MAY DAY. May 1
Ps Interesting that these Illegals picked Socialist, Communist MAY DAY. MAY 1. HUM. RUSH and Victoria should be Fantastic to listen to today.
This just in. Lew, Scottiebill, Bear, Kodiak and Klatu are all the same person.
LOL, Threlfeld.
Now, do you have anything actually intelligent to add?
Thanks Lew, Scottiebill, Bear, Kodiak for bringing us back on topic, I certainly don't think Rush got off to easy. I think drugs laws are silly and conservatives need to quit trying to legislate lifestyles and morality. If he wants to pop pills until he goes totally deaf (which nearly happened) more power to him. Just don't get behind the wheel of a car when you're goofy and I got no problem with you.
As it turns out, the price of realizing that you are a liar is high. To suppress your guilt, and continue the lies, it takes powerful drugs. All for the purpose of personal gain. Seems that after 2 1/2 years of treatment there would be a bit of progress. The guilt must be overwhelming.
You crack me up, threlfeld.
What happened to Rush should scare the pants off the left. Do you really want the doctor patient privilege abused for two years on a witch hunt just to castitgate a person because of politics?
Oh wait, that is done all the time by the left, isn't it?
Please explain why leftist celebrities are admitting to drug addictions all the time and getting treatment and then treated held up with respect. Yet, a Republican admits it and they are drug around for two and a half years.
BTW, you can get off your ridiculous Lew, Scottiebill, Bear, Kodiak joke anytime.
January 12, 2004 the ACLU filed a friend-of-the court brief supporting Mr. Limbaugh’s argument that the seizure of his private medical records was illegal, and Limbaugh gratefully accepted the ACLU’s help. Lew, I am happy to see that you and the ACLU are of like minds. Don't forget to send in a donation.
More smokescreen, threlfeld? The ACLU jumped on board for show, as anyone can see.
However, what a bout a little memory refresher? From the Drudge Report over the weekend;
FLASHBACK: PROSECUTOR BLUFFED 'LIMBAUGH COMMITTED AT LEAST 10 FELONIES'
Sun Apr 30 2006 17:15:30 ET
Palm Beach County prosecutors rejected an overture in 2004 from Rush Limbaugh's attorneys that would have allowed the nation's top talkshow host to enter drug rehabilitation, rather than face criminal charges for prescription drug abuse.
Prosecutors, at the time, claimed they had evidence that Limbaugh committed at least 10 felonies!
It now appears James Martz, the prosecutor who headed the investigation into Limbaugh's prescription drug use, was bluffing when he said that medical records "indicate evidence that would support in excess of 10 felony counts for violations."
Prosecutors said Limbaugh, in any deal, would have to plead guilty to doctor shopping, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
[Prosecutors also suggested at the time that Limbaugh may have been involved in illegal money laundering.]
In an anticlimactic Florida finish, Limbaugh today will respond that he is "not guilty" of a single charge of fraud for concealing information to obtain a prescription -- and in 18 months the charge will be dropped and the record expunged.
Drudge Report
Rush must have thanked the ACLU for show.
Nice smokescreen Lew. But from what I can tell, Rush will not be punished. Even his re-hab will be cursory.The right wing elite live with a different standard of justice than you or me.
That's it! THEY are the elite and this proves it. Rush is always using that word in a derogatory manner to refer to the left. (Whatever the heck that means).
Anytime you have to cite Drudge as authority, you are on thin ice. Drudge is notoriously inaccurate although he never does a retraction.
loyalingrate,
Since Drudge is linking to the sources for his headlines I find your statement to be silly.
threlfeld,
Ya must have gotten your news flash from loyalingrate. Correction I am my own person and I am not related to Lew, scottiebill, bear of klatu.
Kodiak, read the Drudge citation in Lew's post. No link to sources here. My reference is to the Drudge bylines, that rarely link to sources. I find your statement uninformed.
loyalingrate,
Funny I followed the link to Durfge and a followup link to a palmbeachpost.com November 2003 article. I guess that I am just going to stay uninformed in your eyes and you'll stay unfollowed and unlinked in mine.
to all,
Everone is missing the point here. Instead of focusing on Rush everone should be talking about how his medical records were misused. This has very chilling implications for the rest of us. Think if the State can go fishing in a Celebrity's medical records what chance do ordinary people have at keeping them private?
You know, Kodiak is right. Rush's conduct is indefensible. The righties are coming over to the progressive side, even to the ACLU, with the medical records thing. For once we agree
threlfeld,
I am not throwing Rush under the bus. Some subjects transcends political thought. This is neither progressive or conservative issue.
Anytime you have to cite Drudge as authority, you are on thin ice. Drudge is notoriously inaccurate although he never does a retraction.
Drudge isn't an authority on this, he just reminded all of what was claimed by the Democrat Prosecutor a couple years ago. Are you prepared to state that the Democrat Prosecutor did not make those claimes?
Fizzi, no smokescreen there to be reminded of what the Democrat Prosecutor said he was going to find and was claiming at the onset of this.
But, you are right, he is not going to be punished, other than laying out a lot of money in legal fees and being subjected to false reports of being arrested and such last week.
Today, they are trying to trash him by saying he has to undergo random drug tests. Guess what? He's been doing that since this started and has never failed one yet! No newsflash there, either.
Ledt the man speak for himself:
"There's nothing good about drug use. We know it. It destroys individuals. It destroys families. Drug use destroys societies. Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. And the laws are good because we know what happens to people in societies and neighborhoods which become consumed by them. And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.
"What this says to me is that too many whites are getting away with drug use. Too many whites are getting away with drug sales. Too many whites are getting away with trafficking in this stuff. The answer to this disparity is not to start letting people out of jail because we're not putting others in jail who are breaking the law. The answer is to go out and find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them and send them up the river, too."
-- Rush Limbaugh show, Oct. 5, 1995
fizziwigg,
You just cannot stop and look at the real issue here. Just continue to attack Rush. Just keep it up. Go man attack Rush get it all out.
Now that you got that off your chest, try responding to the real issue.
Thank you Kodiak, at your request here is another:
Isn't it cute how the trolls keep trying to change the subject? Anything but Rush, anything but Rush, oh for God's sake don't speak of his 2 years on welfare, his draft-dodging, his drug addiction, his.....If the conversation actually stayed on Rush, they'd have to admit that this guy was stoned out of his mind while making Republican party talking points. And the Con trolls on this site are defending the junky Limbaugh, while pretending to be against drug abuse.
fizziwigg,
Time go go back under your rock. Thank you for your amuzing posts.
Anything but Rush, anything but Rush, oh for God's sake don't speak of his 2 years on welfare,
Of course, you have records for this? He, like several others, has been unemployed. After his break in radio, welfare is the last thing he would need.
his draft-dodging,
Ahem, do you mean Clinton? Rush didn't dodge the draft, he received a 1Y classification, to be called up only in time of declared war or national emergency. You really should look up things before you cite them.
his drug addiction,
Again, pain medication, even if one becomes addicted to it, is a far cry from recreational drugs taken just to be high.
his.....If the conversation actually stayed on Rush, they'd have to admit that this guy was stoned out of his mind while making Republican party talking points.
Are you now an authority on staying stoned? Dealing with pain is not getting stoned, even a lefty should realize that.
Limbaugh had the chance to say no, to seek real help when the problem of chronic pain befell him. Instead, he chose the Repugnikan way, and went doctor shopping. His enormous resources made for some great shopping sprees. Then, he got caught, and the special treatment kicked in.
What happened to the "unbearable, excruciating pain for which there was no medical or surgical cure"? Limbaugh says that is why he became addicted to pain killers. So he gets exposed as a durg addict.. goes off to 30 days rehab is now drug free can't take drugs any more. what happened to that pain for which there was no medical or surgical cure........miraculous cure in rehab?????????
*YAWN*
Like I've said before, Fizzi, the only thing worse than beating a dead horse is betting on one.
Check out pain management treatments
I would agree. Anyone who bet on Rush's integrity, lost.
fizziwigg,
The only person who lost is you. Rail away the only person who was hurt by your post was yourself.
Rush has a large pool of credibility and this issue did not drain it as those on the left side had hoped it would.
Dream on Kodiak, dream on!!!
fizziwigg,
You are the one dreaming.
Rush is still on top of the talk show ratings. He has a large listening audience that supports him, his income is no doubt larger than yours. The settlement has not affected his show or ratings. So game set match.
The Dittoheads I have talked to are very disillusioned and disappointed with Rush. He does make more money than I do, therefore I must take back everything I say. Integrity has a price tag in your world.
As I said previously no one can withstand a 2+ year investigation into their medical records with medical information being leaked to the public.
Whether Rush actually has done anything wrong has not been settled. Remember his plea was 'Not Guilty'. If he stays in treatment and does not violate the terms of the settlement agreement the charge will be dismissed. Now are you going to try and convince me that he has been convicted of any crime. Sorry he has not pleaded guilty nor will he have any criminal record.
So your so-called 'dittoheads' are wrong to be disillusioned and disappointed with Rush.
I am sure you hope he loses listeners, I sure would not hold my breath over it.
Attention Dittoheads. You are wrong to be disillusioned or disapointed with Rush.. Kodiak says so and he is in the know. You must be convicted of a crime before your integrity can be questioned. Hypocrisy and drug addition are not crimes. If you can keep good audience ratings, you are a great man.
fizzi,
You had your fun and we were amused to cross swords once agina. So go crawl back under your rock.
Touche'
Fizzi, obviously you don't like Rush, so allow me to propose you stop listening to his show.
Try Al Franken(stein), he might be more your style.
Whatever you say, it is always gratifying to see a hypocritical blowhard get his comeuppance, whether it be Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Bennett, DeLay or Swaggert.
mongo7,
Gee does that mean anyone you find to be hypocritical should have their medical records searched for anything inciminating and then leaked to the press?
Lets see:
Left/liberal = good
right/conservative = bad
Your diversion from the issue of Limbaugh's credibility, integrity, etc is interesting but please cite any progressive, liberal, leftist, who endorsed or supported the invasion of Limbaughs privacy via his medical records. To the contrary ACLU supported Limbaugh in that regard.
mongo7,
For once the ACLU was on the right side of an issue.
There is a vast difference between becoming addicted to pain killers because of an illness and becoming addicted to illegal drugs used for the only purpose to get high.
I am sorry your arguement that Rush lacks creditibility has fallen on deaf ears. And it is a very lame one at that.
Those on the left want to take Rush down on this issue because they cannot defeat him on the field of ideas. It is that field of ideas that has led to his success in Radio and the left cannot stand it.
I submit that the very ability to joust in the field of ideas is what makes this country great.
To this end we must agree to disagree and leave it at that.
You made it sound as if the left was looking the other way when it came to the invasion of Limbaugh's privacy. This simply is not the case. Rush's conduct is not a right/left argument but right/wrong. It may pain the right to see the chink in the armor, but it is there whether or not the left attempts to benefit from it.
Mongo must not be aware that the State Prosecutor that was persecuting Rush and violating the privacy privilge of his medical records is a lefty Democrat.
Now is the chance for Democrats to show there was no bias against Rush. Since Rep. Patrick Kennedy has announced he is entering a drug rehab program for his addiction to pain medication, after at least auto accidents recently, something Rush did not have, let's see if excuses will be made or if he gets raked over the coals for the next 2 1/2 years and his medical records become the subject of such deep interest.
Any want to bet he skates? Any Democrat Liberal wish to condemn his addiction, like you have been agaiinst Rush in this thread?
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