JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Rush Limbaugh was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians during a 1:00 p.m. ceremony in the Missouri House Chamber Monday.
House Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) inducted the controversial radio host, announcing the ceremony only 24 minutes before it took place.
In March, the speaker announced Limbaugh would be inducted into the Hall. The decision came just days after Limbaugh’s controversial comments about Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke’s testimony before Congress about insurance covering birth control.
The Hall of Famous Missourians is located on the third floor of the Missouri Capitol and consists of a series of bronze busts. President Harry Truman, Mark Twain, and Walter Cronkite are just a few of the people who have been inducted.
Rush Limbaugh is from Cape Girardeau and is a successful syndicated conservative talk radio host.
House Minority Leader Mike Talboy (D-Kansas City) released this statement Monday:
“House Speaker Steve Tilley today purported to induct misogynistic talk show host Rush Limbaugh III into the Hall of Famous Missourians. Instead of being open to the public as is tradition, the ceremony was conducted in secret in a locked House chamber with only Republican officials and other select people allowed in. The secrecy and exclusion of the public demonstrates that even Republicans are embarrassed at honoring someone who recently called a female college student with whom he disagreed a ‘slut’ and a ‘prostitute.’
“After the first four inductees to the Hall of Famous Missourians were selected by a group of legislative spouses, House speakers assumed the role and have chosen all subsequent inductees. Until now, no one as controversial and unworthy as Mr. Limbaugh has been put forth for inclusion.
“But the Hall is an entirely unofficial honor and Speaker Tilley has no legal authority to order that the bronze bust of Mr. Limbaugh be granted space in the Capitol Rotunda alongside the busts of previous inductees. House Democrats have asked the Office of Administration, which controls all public areas of the Capitol, to refuse to display the Limbaugh bust, and we are confident that it will not be placed in the Hall of Famous Missourians.”
Missouri House Democrats have submitted a proposal to amend the rules to be admitted to the Hall of Famous Missourians. They want to add rules stating that to be admitted a person must get an affirmative vote from at least three of the following officials: the House speaker, Senate president pro tempore, the House minority leader, or the Senate minority leader.
