Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter denied that radio host Rush Limbaugh ever compared U.S. military guards' abuse of Iraqi prisoners to hazing or ever said that it wasn't a big deal.
From the May 27 edition of FOX News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Now are you buying into the -- this is just a hazing thing at Abu Ghraib?
COULTER: What, the media is hazing the American people by seeing how much we can take?
O'REILLY: Some of the right wing commentators say it's just hazing, what's the big deal? Are you buying into that?
COULTER: No, I don't think anyone is.
O'REILLY: No, they are. You know that. I'm not going to embarrass people but on the radio, talk radio you have right wing commentators say it's just hazing, what's the big deal?
COULTER: If I know what you're referring to, there were two hours and 59 minutes not saying that and at one point making fun of liberals for making fun of -- if you're talking about Rush, but Rush went on...
O'REILLY: ...program and he said it's not a big deal, it's just hazing.
COULTER: If you're talking about Rush, he definitely didn't say that.What other talk radio hosts say...
O'REILLY: I compete against him every day on the radio and I know what he says. He said many, many times and not only him that it wasn't a big deal.
COULTER: No, he didn't say that, but whatever -- no.
As Media Matters for America reported on May 5, Limbaugh compared the abuse of Iraqi prisoners to a college fraternity prank. From the May 4 Rush Limbaugh Show:
CALLER: It was like a college fraternity prank that stacked up naked men --
LIMBAUGH: Exactly. Exactly my point! This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation and we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time. You know, these people are being fired at every day. I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You ever heard of need to blow some steam off?
Further, as Media Matters for America reported on May 11, Limbaugh again compared the abuse of Iraqi prisoners to a college fraternity prank, saying "[W]hat's the big deal here?" From the May 11 Rush Limbaugh Show:
LIMBAUGH: Now, let's look at this -- this prison business. When the first two or three pictures came out, and you know which ones they are -- the pyramid picture, which is what looks like a Skull and Bones initiation, the pyramid, the guys in the hoods, and we've got the female prison guard with a cigarette dangling from the mouth. And we had this -- the guy in all -- in all black, hooded, and so forth, wires attached to various extremities. And there was -- there was one other picture.
And I said, “Well, you know, what's the big deal here? This just looks like an average Skull and Bones initiation.”