Rush's Attorney Claims Political Motive; Rush Compares Himself to Dean

WEST PALM BEACH – Rush Limbaugh poked fun at the investigation into whether he bought painkillers illegally during his Friday afternoon broadcast, hours after his attorney attacked investigators for their political motives.

Palm Beach investigators recently obtained search warrants for Limbaugh's doctors' offices and alleged Thursday that the conservative radio commentator engaged in illegal drug use and went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers.

Limbaugh compared the search warrants for his medical records to the demands that Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean release political records from his years as Vermont governor.

"A lot of people think he should release his political records. ... Nobody's demanding he release them. There aren't any search warrants being issued for his political records," Limbaugh said from his South Florida studio. "I bet you what, if I had been treated by Dr. Dean, I bet you Democrats in certain parts of this country would be demanding his records."

His brief reference to the investigation came during his three-hour broadcast, which he has used over the past several weeks to defend allegations that he used illegal drugs and illegally funneled money to buy prescription painkillers.

Earlier Friday, Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, accused the Palm Beach state attorney of investigating Limbaugh only for political reasons. Black said Limbaugh was not a target of State Attorney Barry Krischer's investigation until October when the National Enquirer quoted Limbaugh's maid as saying she had unlawfully sold Limbaugh such medications.

"Suddenly an elected public official could not ignore the name Rush Limbaugh," Black said on NBC's "Today" show. Black is also a paid NBC commentator. "They are looking to publicly embarrass him and affect his radio program. ... Why is Rush Limbaugh the only person treated like this in America?"

Black did not immediately return a call Friday from The Associated Press.

Krischer's spokesman Mike Edmondson said Friday that the prosecutor stands by a statement he released earlier that Limbaugh's rights have been scrupulously protected.

"Whether Mr. Limbaugh is subject to prosecution for any crimes is still under investigation. Mr. Limbaugh is presumed innocent," Krischer said Thursday.

Krischer's office began investigating Limbaugh 10 months before the Enquirer story after prosecutors met with the former maid, Wilma Cline. She told them she sold Limbaugh "large quantities of hydrocodone, Oxycontin and other pharmaceutical drugs in Palm Beach County over the course of many years."

Cline provided investigators with e-mails and answering machine recordings to support her claims. Investigators then examined records from Palm Beach pharmacies near Limbaugh's $24 million oceanfront mansion that they say support the doctor-shopping allegations.

The warrants list prescriptions for more than 2,000 pills from March 24 through Sept. 26. from four doctors. The medications include the powerful painkillers Oxycontin, Lorcet, Norco, hydrocodone and Kadian. In addition, Limbaugh received prescriptions for the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and Clonodine, used to treat high blood pressure.

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