O'Reilly: "Palm Beach authorities" are "trying to ruin Rush Limbaugh"
On the June 27 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly
claimed that the "Palm Beach authorities" are "trying to ruin [nationally
syndicated radio host] Rush Limbaugh" by detaining him at the Palm Beach,
Florida, international airport for possession of a bottle of Viagra that did
not have Limbaugh's name on the prescription.
O'Reilly stated that he "believe[d] powerful people in" Limbaugh's "home
county are trying to unjustly harm him," asserting repeatedly that Limbaugh
engaged in "no wrongdoing" and that Limbaugh's actions were "not illegal."
O'Reilly insisted that Limbaugh's detainment was "political persecution"
orchestrated by the airport's U.S. Customs agents and Palm Beach County
authorities, because "[w]e're talking about a county where all these people
know each other. It's a big clubhouse." Responding to defense attorney
Michelle Suskauer's suggestion that the Customs agent's search of Limbaugh
was standard, O'Reilly retorted: "Bull! That's bull! They wouldn't do it
with anyone. ... It was a malicious, cheap, cheap, cheap tactic by the Palm
Beach authorities, and they ought to be ashamed of themselves." O'Reilly
concluded: "If I were Limbaugh, I'd move right on out of there. I'd get out
of there. They're after him."
Limbaugh's attorneys have claimed that the Viagra was prescribed using the
name of Limbaugh's physician to protect Limbaugh's privacy. The Contra Costa
Times reported:
If Limbaugh's doctor doesn't confirm the prescription was indeed for the
conservative radio host, the radio host could face a second-degree
misdemeanor charge. That could torpedo last month's deal with in which
prosecutors agreed to dismiss a "doctor shopping" charge if Limbaugh avoided
arrest for 18 months, among other terms. Prosecutors had said he illegally
deceived multiple doctors to get overlapping painkiller prescriptions.
Limbaugh denied the charges but admitted he was addicted to painkillers.
From the June 27 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: And later: Are Palm Beach authorities trying to ruin Rush
Limbaugh? Upcoming.
[...]
O'REILLY: All right, we appreciate you coming on the program, tonight.
Plenty more ahead as The Factor moves along this evening. Rush Limbaugh
embarrassed again. Looks like authorities in Palm Beach are trying to ruin
the man. We'll investigate.
[...]
O'REILLY: When we come back, the most controversial story of the evening.
Are authorities in Palm Beach, Florida, trying to ruin Rush Limbaugh?
There's evidence that says yes. Right back with it.
[...]
O'REILLY: Thanks for staying with us. I'm Bill O'Reilly.
In the "Personal Story" segment tonight, looks like authorities in Palm
Beach County, Florida, are out to ruin radio commentator Rush Limbaugh.
Now, I've only met the man once for about 10 seconds. He's a competitor of
mine on the radio. I have no vested interest in his story. But he is an
American, and I believe powerful people in his home county are trying
unjustly to harm him.
On Monday, Mr. Limbaugh flew into Palm Beach County on a private jet. He
was detained because a prescription on a non-narcotic medicine label was
improperly written.
This is unusual in many ways. First, authorities don't usually check the
shaving kits of people flying private. If they did, more than a few rock
stars and other entertainers and politicians would be in very deep trouble.
Second, prescription medicine of the type Mr. Limbaugh had is almost
always a private matter, but the story was leaked to the press almost
immediately. That's flat-out wrong, ladies and gentlemen, as there was
apparently no wrongdoing in this case.
Mr. Limbaugh and his attorney declined to appear this evening. But joining
us now from West Palm Beach, Florida, is Michelle Suskauer, a defense
attorney; and here in the studio, Jayne Weintraub, also a counselor for the
defense. What say you, Jayne?
WEINTRAUB: I think this is a case, clearly, of humiliation factor. And
it's embarrass first, correct later on Page 30 after it's all over the front
page.
O'REILLY: But, I don't even think there's going to be a correction. But
what I laid out about private planes, authorities checking medicine kits,
particularly of a guy like Rush Limbaugh, it very rarely happens. So I only
can conclude that in Palm Beach, where Mr. Limbaugh lives, they're out to
get this guy.
WEINTRAUB: Absolutely. I mean, the whole prosecution, I think, was a
political platform to begin with.
[...]
O'REILLY: See, I disagree with you a little bit in the first one. If the
guy is -- you know, if somebody is kiting OxyContin, which is much different
than what this is all about, I think you can't ignore it. Because then you
get favoritism. Well, he's a big rich guy, so he can get OxyContin by nine
different doctors, but the junkie on the street can't. I don't think you can
do that.
But here, here, Michelle, this is malicious, and this is unnecessary. Is
it not?
[...]
SUSKAUER: Let's -- let's talk about the authorities. We're not talking
about Palm Beach County state attorney's office, who are the prosecutors.
We're talking about Customs. And, the last that I know, Customs is the
federal government. And that's who checked him.
O'REILLY: You're talking about a county where all these people know each
other. It's a big clubhouse.
SUSKAUER: OK.
WEINTRAUB: A small, private airport.
SUSKAUER: OK, well, you know what? Bill, I disagree with you because it's
Customs, it's the federal government --
O'REILLY: Well, they handed it over to the Palm Beach sheriff. They handed
it right to the Palm Beach sheriff. It's not a federal beef. They handed it
right to them.
SUSKAUER: Well, you know, he came in -- he came in on a private plane.
O'REILLY: Right.
SUSKAUER: But he did come from the Dominican Republic, so he's going to go
through Customs like everybody else.
[...]
O'REILLY: All right. Let me just -- look, because it was a low-level beef.
And it had nothing to do with the security of anybody else in the United
States.
But I'll give you the fact that OK, they know it's him. They know he's had
some trouble before. OK, you search. Then you find a bottle of a
non-narcotic prescription improperly labeled. And you call the -- come on.
Come on.
SUSKAUER: It's not -- you know what? It's not improperly labeled. It was
labeled properly in the name of a doctor, not his doctor, somebody else's
doctor.
O'REILLY: It should have been labeled in his name.
SUSKAUER: You know what? It should have, or --
WEINTRAUB: They said it's not illegal. It is not illegal in Florida if
it's properly documented.
[...]
O'REILLY: It's not illegal to do. Right?
WEINTRAUB: Even more reason why they shouldn't have wanted it to be
leaked.
SUSKAUER: OK, nothing's going to happen. But -- but they're doing what
they would do with anyone. OK? With anyone.
O'REILLY: Bull! That's bull! They wouldn't do it with anyone.
SUSKAUER: OK. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This man -- this man is --
O'REILLY: They wouldn't. It's a purely discretionary play.
SUSKAUER: You know what? This man is not above the law, whether we -- he
wants to be or not.
O'REILLY: You know, Michelle --
WEINTRAUB: He shouldn't be a target of it either.
O'REILLY: Where do you live in Florida, Jayne?
SUSKAUER: Oh you're right. He shouldn't be.
WEINTRAUB: In North Miami Beach. I live 45 minutes away.
O'REILLY: All right Jayne. I'll submit to you that if the authorities
start shaking down medicine kits of the rich and famous in Palm Beach,
they're not going to have too many people living there anymore. They're
going to leave.
SUSKAUER: What the?
O'REILLY: All right, I'm going to give Jayne the last word. This is a
setup. This is a political persecution. That's what this is.
WEINTRAUB: I'm not here to defend Rush Limbaugh --
O'REILLY: No, you're a liberal!
WEINTRAUB: -- but I am here to defend his right to privacy, and this
clearly violated all of his rights to privacy, same as any person.
SUSKAUER: Oh, please.
O'REILLY: It did!
WEINTRAUB: It's celebrity injustice.
SUSKAUER: Bill --
O'REILLY: It's more than the right to privacy. It was a malicious,
cheap --
SUSKAUER: Oh, please.
WEINTRAUB: It was cheap.
O'REILLY: -- cheap, tactic by the Palm Beach authorities, and they ought
to be ashamed of themselves. They really -- if I were Limbaugh, I'd move
right on out of there. I'd get out of there. They're after him.
SUSKAUER: He's not going anywhere.
O'REILLY: Well, I would. I'd move out, I'd be out of there now.
Ladies, thanks very much. We appreciate it.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200606280005
Actually Rush is lucky he's not in Argentina. How many times has he made
trite threats at Hillary, Bill, the Carters?
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