LIMBAUGH UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR MONEY LAUNDERING

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Authorities are investigating whether radio
commentator Rush Limbaugh illegally funneled money to buy prescription
painkillers, a law-enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity
said yesterday.

In his third day back on the air after rehab, Limbaugh responded with a
blanket denial of the allegations first reported Tuesday by ABC News.

"I was not laundering money. I was withdrawing money, for crying out loud,"
Limbaugh said during his three-hour broadcast.

Limbaugh was absent from his show for five weeks after announcing he was
entering a drug-rehabilitation program because of his addiction to
prescription painkillers. He told listeners yesterday he could tell them
little about the allegations.

"I know who's behind it, and I know what the purpose of the story is, and
I'll be able to tell you at some point," he said.

Law-enforcement sources in Palm Beach County, where Limbaugh owns a $24
million oceanfront mansion, previously confirmed that a criminal
investigation into a prescription-drug ring involved the conservative
talk-show host. His former maid reported supplying him with OxyContin and
other painkillers.

Authorities learned two years ago during an investigation of U.S. Trust
bank in New York that Limbaugh withdrew cash 30 to 40 times from his
account at amounts just under the $10,000 bank reporting requirement, ABC
News reported Tuesday. A bank employee was reported to have delivered some
cash to Limbaugh.

It can be a federal crime to structure financial transactions below the
$10,000 limit to avoid the reporting requirement.

Limbaugh told listeners the report was misleading and that he had the bank
bring cash to him at his New York office "maybe four times, if that many."
Otherwise, he said he got cash from a bank in Florida, where he was living.

"When I went to get cash, I took a check to the bank. I went to the bank
officer. I said, 'Here's my check,' and they gave me the cash. There were
witnesses to this," he said.

Limbaugh said he started taking painkillers "some years ago" after a doctor
prescribed them for chronic pain following spinal surgery.

Limbaugh reported two years ago that he had lost most of his hearing
because of an autoimmune inner-ear disease, but some medical experts have
said abusing opiate-based painkillers can lead to profound hearing loss.
Limbaugh had surgery to implant an electronic device to restore his hearing.