Limbaugh Politicizes Haiti Aid, Warns About Donating

Rush Limbaugh’s not one to miss an opportunity to diss the Obama administration, and in his latest class act the conservative radio impresario was nothing if not consistent. Not only did Limbaugh warn against sending money to Haiti via the White House, he also used American racial politics to explain the president’s impulse to help. What’s more, he seemed to suggest that listeners not donate to Haiti at all—although he denied later that this was his intention.  —KA

The Guardian:

Limbaugh agreed with a caller suspicious that the White House website was being used to direct funds to the American Red Cross. “Would you trust the money’s gonna go to Haiti?” the caller asked. Limbaugh then said Obama was exploiting the disaster for political ends.

“This [the earthquake] will play right into Obama’s hands,” said Limbaugh. “He’s humanitarian, compassionate. They’ll use this to burnish their, shall we say, credibility with the black community – both light-skinned and dark-skinned black community in this country. This is made to order for them.”

Limbaugh also warned Americans against donating money. “Besides, we’ve already donated to Haiti. It’s called the US income tax,” he said.

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AP / Chris Carlson