Rush Limbaugh criticized Politico and other media outlets for reporting on his remarks that NASA's discovery of water of Mars was part of a “left-wing agenda,” claiming the remarks were taken out of context. However, when asked by Politico to explain how, a Limbaugh spokesman refused to explain.

On the September 28 edition of his show, Limbaugh, talking about NASA's announcement that day it had discovered liquid water on Mars, claimed NASA had been “corrupted by the current regime” and, referencing global warming, asked, “what's to stop them from making up something that happened on Mars that will help advance their left-wing agenda on this planet?” Limbaugh doubled down on his remarks the next day, claiming Media Matters took his remarks “out of context” and that “Obama has turned NASA over to Muslim outreach.”

Politico's Eliza Collins, writing about Limbaugh's criticism of the media reports on his remarks, noted “It's not clear, however, how exactly Limbaugh felt he was being misinterpreted.” Collins added a Limbaugh spokesman “declined to elaborate.” She also noted "[a] transcript posted on Limbaugh's own website, however, matches Media Matters' version word for word":

Rush Limbaugh took a swipe Tuesday at POLITICO and others who had reported on his recent comments about the discovery of water on Mars -- saying that his remarks about how NASA's findings would be used to “advance a leftist agenda” were being misinterpreted.

“POLITICO has a story: 'Rush Limbaugh Pans Evidence of Water on Mars as Part of Leftist Agenda,' and they take it out of context, too, which is typical,” he said on his show Tuesday. “I don't think this guy, Eliza Collins... I doubt that he went to my website to find out what I really said. Just looked at these 'watchdog' websites and took it from there.”

On Monday, POLITICO wrote about a lengthy segment of the conservative radio host's show in which he predicted that the Mars discovery would be used to promote liberal views about climate change.

[...]

The original story on POLITICO cited a transcript and video of Limbaugh from the left-leaning website Media Matters, a long-time critic of the radio host that has called on advertisers to boycott his program. A transcript posted on Limbaugh's own website, however, matches Media Matters' version word for word.

“This Mars thing is just totally all over the place out there, and every one of these people talking about it, from local TV news, say, in Dallas, or The Politico, are getting it totally out of context from our old buddies at Media Matters for America, which wouldn't know the truth if it knocked them unconscious,” Limbaugh said Wednesday.

It's not clear, however, how exactly Limbaugh felt he was being misinterpreted. A spokesman for the radio host declined to elaborate.

Listen to Limbaugh's original remarks here: