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“And so on this story going forward, I have no opinion," said Rush Limbaugh (pictured in 2012). | AP Photo Limbaugh vows to muzzle himself on Lewandowski, Fields

Those hoping to hear the thoughts of Rush Limbaugh on the misdemeanor battery charge against Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski will have to look elsewhere, the host declared Wednesday.

“My friends, I have decided that going forward that I cannot share with you my opinion on this story,” Limbaugh said, referring to the story as “Lewandowski-gate” and “Grabgate.”

On Tuesday, shortly after Lewandowski was charged with simple battery against former Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields, Limbaugh on his show decried the role of the media, and CNN in particular, as trying to destroy the Trump campaign with its coverage of the incident and its playing of surveillance footage of the incident.

Referring to the footage on his show Tuesday, Limbaugh said that "just in terms of video capture there's nothing apparent that you can see," characterizing it as "the latest event that has presented itself to maybe take Trump out of this."

While CNN broadcast a panel Tuesday afternoon featuring Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson and representatives from both rival campaigns, Limbaugh mused, "They've got a [John] Kasich spokesman on CNN weighing in on this Lewandowski thing. I don't know. Something about that just offends my sensibilities. A Kasich spokesman? You got the Trump spokeswoman up there, you got the [Ted] Cruz spokesman, the Kasich spokesman, got Wolf Blitzer, and they're ganging up on the babe. She's holding her own pretty well, Katrina Pierson."

"CNN is today trying to destroy the Trump campaign," Limbaugh commented shortly thereafter, according to a transcript. "Fine and dandy. They're the media. It's what they want to do. They're afraid of Trump. They don't like Trump. Whatever it is, they're trying to use this Lewandowski thing to raise doubts. War on women. I'm not listening to it, but I can see it happening here."

By Wednesday, it was clear that Limbaugh had felt wrath from all comers.

"Because no matter what I say, I am convinced people cannot listen anymore, and no matter what I say, it is going to be misconstrued into one of two things: Either I am defending Lewandowski, or I am trying to destroy Trump in order to help Ted Cruz,” Limbaugh remarked. “And I have done neither, said neither.”

“Yesterday all I did on this program was to review for people who may not have been able to see the video because it was happening while the program was on the air, just telling people what had happened, and I commented on how much time CNN was spending on this,” the host said.

Limbaugh also noted Wednesday that he talked about the show “stacking guests” supportive of Trump, “and all of that became ‘Limbaugh defends Lewandowski,’ ‘Limbaugh sells out conservatism,’ ‘Limbaugh traitorous to the cause,’ ‘Limbaugh supports reprobate a-hole, ‘Limbaugh—whatever.’”

“I don’t even know Lewandowski,” he volunteered. “What I know is everybody apparently hates the guy. What I know is everybody wants to try to destroy the Trump campaign that is not part of the Trump campaign. I know that includes many people in the media. They will take the occasion of any event that pops up to try to destroy and bring down the Trump campaign, which is politics, and it’s fine.”

Regardless, Limbaugh continued, “because tensions are so tight, everybody is wound up to such a feverish pitch here, that no matter what I say is misunderstood and is not helpful.”

“And so on this story going forward, I have no opinion. We have the latest in sound bites, we have the latest in the news on it,” Limbaugh declared. “I’m even reluctant to just tell you what the latest is because of how that’s gonna be misinterpreted.”

The Lewandowski-Fields incident “may not be the only subject about which I have to muzzle my own self here, and silence myself at least from the standpoint of opinions,” he contended.

“Because it’s apparently impossible to be correctly, properly, understood,” he concluded. “So, that’s that.”