Charity to receive $4 million

WASHINGTON -- A winner was declared Friday in the dust-up between Rush Limbaugh and Sen. Harry Reid.

A charity that funds college scholarships for the children of Marines and law enforcers killed in the line of duty became richer by $4.2 million after Limbaugh auctioned off what he called a "smear letter" Reid wrote to his bosses earlier this month.

The four-page letter drew a winning $2.1 million bid on eBay, which the company confirmed was a record for an online charity auction. The conservative radio talk show host said he would match the donation.

James Kallstrom, chairman of the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, said he was not taking sides but welcomed the money.

"I don't see how we are affected by the politics, but we will benefit from the publicity," he said. Limbaugh sits on the charity's board.

Limbaugh regularly goes after Reid, the Senate majority leader from Nevada, and he got a week's worth of fodder after putting up for auction the Oct. 2 letter Reid and 40 other Democrats signed and sent to Mark Mays, chief executive officer of Clear Channel Broadcasting, which syndicates Limbaugh's show.

The Democrats called on Mays to repudiate Limbaugh's on-air comments that they said referred to military critics of the Iraq war as "phony soldiers." Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois and Joe Biden of Delaware, plus others like Edward Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts, signed the letter.

Limbaugh rejected the criticism and fired back that the senators were trying to silence him and that the government "is trying to take away my living."

In his trademark style, he repeatedly called Reid a "demagogue" and referred to him as "Dingy Harry."

As the eBay responses grew, Reid on Friday finally commented. He said Limbaugh reacted "very constructively" by auctioning off the letter "for a worthy cause."

"Everyone knows that Rush Limbaugh and I don't agree on everything in life and that maybe is kind of an understatement," Reid said in a Senate speech.

Reid encouraged more bidding to help the charity.

"When we can put our differences aside, even Harry Reid and Rush Limbaugh, we should do that and try to accomplish good things for the American people," he said.

Limbaugh was not accepting of Reid's overture, accusing him of "trying to horn in on this at the very end."

"He wants to claim credit but he has not apologized to me," Limbaugh said on the air.

"That's silly," Reid spokesman Jon Summers said. "Senator Reid was simply trying to help in the effort to raise money. It's too bad Limbaugh is trying to turn it into something it wasn't."

In his speech, Reid said he and Mays had spoken about the letter. He did not go into detail and Summers said in an e-mail that "Sen. Reid prefers to keep his private conversations private."

But Limbaugh did not appear to be talking like someone who had been chastised.

The auction "got this kind of money because it represents one of the most outrageous abuses of federal power in modern American history, and that is what makes (the letter) a collector's item," Limbaugh said Friday.

"This letter that Senator Reid wrote will forever memorialize him as a demagogue and the same for the other 40 who signed it," he said.

The winning bid was cast by Betty Casey of Maryland on behalf of the Eugene B. Casey Foundation where she is a trustee. Her late husband, Eugene Casey, was a philanthropist and a builder who served as a farm policy adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Betty Casey's political donations over 20 years have mostly been to conservative candidates, according to records at the Federal Election Commission. She did not comment Friday, but a foundation spokeswoman released a statement.

"The Eugene B. Casey Foundation believes freedom of speech is a basic right of every citizen of this country," it said. "Their purchase of the smear letter was to demonstrate their belief in this right, and to support Rush Limbaugh, his views and his continued education of us."

Limbaugh challenged Democrats to match the winning bid. Reid had no plans to do so, Summers said.

"While Senator Reid is happy that a charity that helps children will benefit from the auction, this was initiated by Limbaugh," Summers said.

Casey will receive the letter in a metal Zero Halliburton attaché case, according to Limbaugh, who added he will throw in an autographed picture of himself holding the letter.

The previous record for an eBay charity auction was the $800,100 that was paid in 2005 for a Jay Leno-signed Harley Davidson.

Contact reporter Jason C. Green at jgreen@stephensmedia.com or (202) 783-1760. Contact Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or (202) 783-1760.