Limbaugh: 'I Did Not Discourage Donations To Haiti'
January 15, 2010: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called comments by Rush Limbaugh about Haiti "sad" and "really stupid" after Limbaugh said on the air, "We've already donated to Haiti. It's called the income tax," a comment that has been widely interpreted as urging listeners not to donate to earthquake relief. But Limbaugh said on the same show on Thursday, "I did not discourage donations to Haiti."
On that show after playing audio of President Obama asking Americans to support the aid efforts in Haiti by going to whitehouse.gov to "learn how to contribute," Limbaugh said Obama is asking "people who have lost their jobs because of his policies to donate to whitehouse.gov to the people of Haiti. And we will do it. We are the most charitable and the most generous people on the face of the earth."
Later, in response to a caller who asked why Obama would direct people to whitehouse.gov to make their donations, Limbaugh said, "Would you trust the money is going to go to Haiti?" He asked the caller if he'd trust that the caller's name wouldn't end up on political mailing lists, and continued, "Besides, we've already donated to Haiti. It's called the U.S. income tax."
After the caller said his mother was on her way to Haiti to join in relief efforts and added, "No government money, Rush," Limbaugh responded, "Exactly. There are people that do charitable work every day in Haiti."
Later on Thursday, Limbaugh, speaking with a caller who said she had read on the Internet that he had discouraged donations, acknowledged that he made the comment about income tax, but continued, "But I also said private donations are going to be much better than a government donation. They're all going, go to the Red Cross, do other things, don't go through the government. It's just going to go through hands and bureaucracies and a dollar is going to end up being 30 cents by the time they get through with it. I did not say, 'Don't make donations.'"
The Haiti information page at whitehouse.gov links to the Red Cross and the Center for International Disaster Information.
