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Limbaugh mostly mum on reports of drug probe
From Susan Candiotti
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The usually outspoken Rush Limbaugh had little to say on his nationally syndicated radio program Friday about reports that his name is being linked by law enforcement sources to an investigation into a black market drug ring in South Florida. "I don't know what I'm dealing with, folks. I really don't know the full scope of what I'm dealing with," Limbaugh said during his daily show Friday. "When I get all the facts, when I get all the details of this, rest assured that I will discuss this with you and tell you how it is -- tell you everything there is. "There may be more than you want to know about this, you can believe and trust me on that." Sources close to the investigation being led by the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office told CNN on Friday they have been contacted by a Limbaugh representative and hope that his radio comments indicate the talk show host will be talking with them soon. Law enforcement sources said Thursday that during an investigation into illegal sales of the prescription painkillers, Limbaugh's name came up as a possible buyer. The sources said that Limbaugh, who has a home in Palm Beach, is not the focus of the investigation. "We're not sure whether he will be charged," one law enforcement source told CNN. "We're going after the big fish, both the suppliers and the sellers." The sources said the investigation began nine months ago when Wilma Cline, a former housekeeper at Limbaugh's oceanfront Palm Beach mansion, approached authorities. In a speech Thursday to the National Association of Broadcasters, Limbaugh did not comment on the drug allegations, nor did he address an article in The National Enquirer in which Cline discusses his alleged efforts to obtain the pills. Law enforcement sources said the article was accurate, and Cline's attorney said she stands by her story, for which she received payment from the Enquirer. Investigative sources said the woman claimed she sold Limbaugh prescription painkillers at his request and turned over records of the pills -- OxyContin, Hydrocodone and Lorcet. In addition, those sources said, Cline turned over e-mails that appear to be from Limbaugh asking for drugs and answering machine recordings on the same subject that sound like his voice. "We didn't run right out and try to go after a celebrity. We concentrated on trying to get at the source, the suppliers," one law enforcement source said. Authorities said they do not know whether anyone else will be charged when the investigation is completed. A spokesman for the state attorney's office in Palm Beach said Thursday that his office could "not confirm or deny" that Limbaugh's name has come up as part of the investigation. Limbaugh said in a statement released Thursday: "I am unaware of any investigation by any authorities involving me. No governmental representative has contacted me directly or indirectly. If my assistance is required in the future, I will, of course, cooperate fully."
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