A day after Josh Duggar apologized amid allegations he molested five underage girls, including his own sisters, while a teenager, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee criticized those “trying to sensationalize the story.”
Duggar, now 27, is the eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and stars in TLC’s hit show “19 Kids and Counting.”
As WND reported, Josh Duggar resigned his position as executive director of the Family Research Council’s political-action committee.
“Josh’s actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, ‘inexcusable,’ but that doesn’t mean ‘unforgivable,’” Huckabee said in a statement posted on Facebook Friday.
“He and his family dealt with it and were honest and open about it with the victims and the authorities.” Huckabee said the “blood-thirsty” media sensationalized the story.
Huckabee, a Baptist minister whose candidacy for president has received the endorsement of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, said “good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things.”
He said he and his wife “want to affirm our support for the Duggar family.”
“Janet and I love Jim Bob and Michelle and their entire family. They are no more perfect a family than any family, but their Christian witness is not marred in our eyes because following Christ is not a declaration of our perfection, but of HIS perfection. It is precisely because we are all sinners that we need His grace and His forgiveness. We have been blessed to receive God’s love and we would do no less than to extend our love and support for our friends. In fact, it is such times as this, when real friends show up and stand up. Today, Janet and I want to show up and stand up for our friends. Let others run from them. We will run to them with our support.”
Newly-released police reports revealed Jim Bob Duggar waited a year before he alerted authorities about the confessed molestations. Huckabee had this to say:
“Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things. The reason that the law protects disclosure of many actions on the part of a minor is that the society has traditionally understood something that today’s blood-thirsty media does not understand — that being a minor means that one’s judgement is not mature. Those who have enjoyed revealing this long ago sins in order to discredit the Duggar family have actually revealed their own insensitive bloodthirst, for there was no consideration of the fact that the victims wanted this to be left in the past and ultimately a judge had the information on file destroyed — not to protect Josh, but the innocent victims.”
In Touch magazine was the first to published details from a 2006 police report on the case. Duggar was 14 when he confessed to his father he had sexually molested five young girls.
“Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends,” the now 27-year-old Josh Duggar told People magazine in a statement Thursday. “I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life.”
Josh’s parents also released the following joint statement:
“Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives. When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes, and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before.
“Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God. We pray that as people watch our lives they see that we are not a perfect family. We have challenges and struggles every day. It is one of the reasons we treasure our faith so much because God’s kindness and goodness and forgiveness are extended to us – even though we are so undeserving. We hope somehow the story of our journey – the good times and the difficult times – cause you to see the kindness of God and learn that He can bring you through anything.”
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins also issued a statement on Duggar’s resignation:
“Today Josh Duggar made the decision to resign his position as a result of previously unknown information becoming public concerning events that occurred during his teenage years.
“Josh believes that the situation will make it difficult for him to be effective in his current work. We believe this is the best decision for Josh and his family at this time. We will be praying for everyone involved.”
In 2009, Huckabee was forced to take responsibility for releasing a violent felon from prison while he was governor of Arkansas.
As WND reported, Huckabee granted clemency to Maurice Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protestations of prosecutors.
Nine years later, Clemmons shot and killed four Seattle-area police officers.
“I wish Maurice Clemmons’ file had never crossed my desk. But it did. The decision I made is one I now wish could have been made with a view into the future. That decision would have been different,” Huckabee said after the killings.
Earlier this year, Huckabee grabbed headlines when he urged the Obamas to stop allowing their daughters to listen to Beyoncé. In an interview with People, Huckabee said he didn’t understand how “they don’t see anything that might not be suitable for either a preteen or a teen in some of the lyrical content and choreography of Beyoncé.”
As of Friday afternoon, the Duggars are still featured prominently on Huckabee’s campaign website home page:
from PropagandaGuard https://propagandaguard.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/huckabee-comes-to-defense-of-duggar-family/
from WordPress https://toddmsiebert.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/huckabee-comes-to-defense-of-duggar-family/
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