Sharpton threatens to sue Limbaugh

PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton says he may sue Rush Limbaugh if the U.S. talk show host does not apologize for comments he made in a newspaper item.

Sharpton objects to an assertion Limbaugh made in a column in Saturday's Wall Street Journal, in which the right-wing radio host said Sharpton "played a leading role in the 1991 Crown Heights (N.Y.) riot." Limbaugh's column, a response to accusations that he has a history of making racially insensitive comments on the air, came days after he was dropped from a group that is bidding to acquire the NFL St. Louis Rams.

Limbaugh also accused Sharpton, 55, of paying a key role in the Freddie's Fashion Mart riots in Harlem in 1995.

"I've never led any riots," Sharpton told the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post. "As a matter of fact, I never got to Crown Heights until after the violence ended."

Sharpton's media office released a statement Saturday threatening a defamation lawsuit against Limbaugh.

"Unless Mr. Limbaugh apologizes and clarifies his statements, attorneys for Rev. Sharpton will move forward with a lawsuit," the statement said. "He has the right to criticize Rev. Sharpton, but he does not have the right to accuse him of criminal activity, and riots and murders are criminal."

Limbaugh had no comment, the Post reported.