Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh pushed back against liberal fury about his discussion last week of a Washington Free Beacon story about the federal government holding summits for lesbian farmers.
Limbaugh's discussion began to circulate widely this week. Late-night host Conan O'Brien joked about it in his monologue, and the New York Daily News roasted Limbaugh for an "atrocious" rant.
"The thing that puzzled me about this was I didn't make thing up. I barely even added to it," he said. "I could have used all kinds of lines about zucchini, but I didn't. I tried to keep it all aboveboard, talking about lesbian farmers invading red states. It was a Washington Free Beacon or Washington Examiner story a week ago, yesterday."
The story was in fact a Free Beacon piece about the Department of Agriculture holding summits to promote the role of lesbian farmers and change the perception of a farmer being a "rich, white male."
"The Department of Agriculture is indeed offering grant money to lesbians and others if they'll go out in rural areas and start farming," Limbaugh said. "Did the story, been there, done that. Moved on. It shows up No. 1 trending at Facebook, and then I hear late-night comedians are talking. Then I see this story, and it's just hilarious."
Limbaugh tried to parse out why the Daily News and other left-leaning outlets were so upset with him, at one point quoting a line from the story about "lesbian and transgender hillbillies" getting subsidies.
"I didn't say that. The Washington Free Beacon did," he said.
Limbaugh congratulated himself for not cracking jokes about carrots and zucchinis and how lesbian farmers might use them.
"It's amazing. There's no anger at the Washington Free Beacon for doing the story, and they're the source," he said. "And in fact, the event did happen. The [Obama] regime does want lesbians to become farmers, and they're paying them to do so. They're offering grants."