Rush Limbaugh Threatens DCCC With Defamation Lawsuit

The Daily Caller is reporting that conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh has retained a lawyer and is preparing to sue the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) if the group fails to retract and apologize for “deliberately and deceptively” editing comments Limbaugh made about sexual assault on his radio show last September.

Limbaugh’s legal team delivered a letter to the DCCC last week demanding an “immediate retraction and public apology” for removing “ten words completely out of context in order to attribute a false meaning” to Limbaugh’s statements about sexual consent.

Patricia Glaser, Limbaugh’s lawyer, wrote “[A] retraction and apology will mitigate against a subsequent lawsuit.”

Glaser demanded the DCCC “preserve all records in anticipation of a lawsuit for defamation and interference”

After Limbaugh made the on-air comments, the DCCC sent an email blast to supporters and asked them to sign a petition urging Limbaugh’s sponsors to pull their advertising.

Just a few days prior to the DCCC email, Limbaugh spoke out against an Ohio State University policy that instructed students to get verbal consent before engaging in any sexual activity. Limbaugh said, “How many guys, in your own experience with women, have learned that ‘no’ means ‘yes’ if you know how to spot it?”

DCCC Chairman Rep. Steve wrote in the email, “Comments of this offensive nature are inexcusable. … Rush Limbaugh is advocating for the tolerance of sexual assault. He should be taken off the air immediately.”

Limbaugh’s team is alleging the DCCC misrepresented Limbaugh’s words, making it appear as if he were “advocating a tolerance of rape.”

Limbaugh spokesman Brian Glicklich said in a statement. “To lie about Rush Limbaugh’s words as a fundraising method, under the color of authority of the Democratic Party, is a ‘tactic’ that is disrespectful to the general public, and to the twenty million people that choose to listen to Rush each week. And the Members of Congress who stood to gain from these false claims represent many of the small businesses across America that they deliberately interfered with, in furtherance of rankly partisan objectives.”

The transcript of Limbaugh’s remarks via Politico:

“Consent must be freely given, can be withdrawn at any time, and the absence of ‘no’ does not mean ‘yes.’ How many of you guys, in your own experience with women, have learned that ‘no’ means ‘yes’ if you know how to spot it? Let me tell you something. In this modern world, that is simply not tolerated. People aren’t even gonna try to understand that one. I mean, it used to be said it was a cliche. It used to be part of the advice young boys were given. See, that’s what we gotta change. We have got to reprogram the way we raise men. Why do you think permission every step of the way, clearly spelling out ‘why’… are all of these not lawsuits just waiting to happen if even one of these steps is not taken?”

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