The conservative recently quit his job over statements he made about an NFL quarterback.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Rush Limbaugh is being investigated for illegally buying prescription drugs, Florida investigators said Thursday, hours after the conservative commentator gave up his job as an ESPN sports analyst over reaction to comments he made about a black quarterback.
Law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to The Associated Press that Limbaugh is being investigated by the Palm Beach County state attorney’s office.
The allegations were first reported by the National Enquirer. CNN reported Thursday that sources close to the investigation said Limbaugh had turned up as a buyer of powerful painkillers but that he was not the target of the investigation.
Premiere Radio Networks, which syndicates the politically focused “Rush Limbaugh Show” to more than 650 markets, issued a statement from Limbaugh on Thursday saying: “I am unaware of any investigation by any authority involving me. No government representative has contacted me directly or indirectly. If my assistance is required, I will, of course, cooperate fully.”
Limbaugh left his ESPN job late Wednesday, three days after saying on the sports network’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.
“I think what we’ve had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well,” Limbaugh said on the show. “There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn’t deserve. The defense carried this team.”
McNabb said he didn’t mind criticism of his performance but was upset that Limbaugh made his race an issue. Democratic presidential candidates and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People criticized Limbaugh’s remark, and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie on Thursday accused ESPN of “institutional racism” for hiring Limbaugh in the first place.
Limbaugh said Thursday that he resigned so network employees would be spared the uproar over his comments.
“The great people at ESPN did not want to deal with this kind of reaction,” Limbaugh told the National Association of Broadcasters at its convention in Philadelphia. “The path of least resistance became for me to resign.”
George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports, accepted Limbaugh’s resignation, saying: “We believe that he took the appropriate action to resolve this matter expeditiously.”
Limbaugh has denied that his comments were racially motivated. He said at the convention that he had thought about the issue the night before making the comments and wanted to write an essay on it.
“It’s something I have believed for quite a while,” Limbaugh said. “I don’t mean it to hurt anybody. … It’s just an opinion.”
Limbaugh told the broadcasters that he was used to scrutiny and expects to get attention, saying that to draw in listeners, “we want controversy.”
Limbaugh did not address the drug investigation reports in his speech.
The Enquirer had interviewed Wilma Cline, who said she became Limbaugh’s drug connection after working as his maid. She said Limbaugh had abused OxyContin and other painkillers.
Ed Shohat, a Miami lawyer for Cline and her husband, said Thursday, “The Clines stand by the story.” Shohat said neither he nor his clients would comment further.
National Enquirer Editor in Chief David Perel declined to say whether the Clines were paid for their interview, but said the tabloid does “pay for interviews, photographs and exclusives – as long as they can be proven to be true.” Referring to media reports saying the Clines were paid six figures for their story, Perel said, “People are just making things up.”
Limbaugh skipped his radio show Thursday to attend the broadcasters convention. He was scheduled to be back on the air Friday.
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Associated Press Writer Jason Straziuso in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
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On the Net:
Rush Limbaugh: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
AP-ES-10-02-03 1738EDT
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