Say you're sorry, Rush - or the the Rev. Al Sharpton is suing.
The civil rights activist, angered by a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece written by Rush Limbaugh, threatened a defamation lawsuit Saturday against the conversative talk radio host.
"Unless Mr. Limbaugh apologizes and clarifies his statements, attorneys for Rev. Sharpton will move forward with a lawsuit," said a statement from Sharpton. Limbaugh lashed out at Sharpton over his failed attempt to purchase a piece of the St. Louis Rams.
Sharpton "played a leading role in the 1991 Crown Heights riot (he called neighborhood Jews 'diamond merchants') and 1995 Freddie's Fashion Mart riot," Limbaugh wrote.
The hard-line conservative also mentioned Sharpton's accusations in the Tawana Brawley case, and the reverend's "blind hatred" - although Sharpton took no issue with those remarks.
Limbaugh "has the right to criticize Rev. Sharpton, but he does not have the right to accuse him of criminal activity," the Sharpton statement said.
Sharpton pointed out that he was never in Crown Heights until after the violence that broke out following a traffic accident that killed a young black boy.
And the reverend said the killer in the Freddie's Fashion Mart shootings and fire was a Sharpton critic.
The gunman and seven other people died inside the store on 125th St. in Harlem.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/10/17/2009-10-17_rev_al_sharpton_threatens_to_sue_rush_limbaugh_over_wall_street_journal_oped.html