Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee tore in the press Friday morning for “sensationalizing” reports that former reality TV star Josh Duggar had sexually abused several girls, including his own sisters, when he was a teenager.
“No purpose whatsoever is served by those who are now trying to discredit Josh or his family by sensationalizing the story. Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things,” Huckabee said in a statement posted to Facebook.
“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,” he said.
Duggar, whose family rose to fame with the TLC reality TV show “19 Kids and Counting,” resigned Thursday afternoon from his position at the Family Research Council after reports of his alleged sexual misconduct surfaced.
The eldest Duggar son stopped short of admitting outright to sexually abusing underage girls, but said in a statement that he had “acted inexcusably” when he was in his early teens.
Huckabee defended the family for its handling of the problem when it arose.
“Josh’s actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, ‘inexcusable,’ but that doesn’t mean ‘unforgivable.’ He and his family dealt with it and were honest and open about it with the victims and the authorities,” Huckabee said.
At the time of the alleged abuse, Duggar told his father that he had “forcibly” fondled as many as five girls, some while they were asleep and some while they were wide awake, according to a 2006 police report obtained by In Touch magazine.
The Duggar parents responded to their son’s misconduct by sending him away to a “Christian ministry.”
The authorities weren’t alerted to the Josh Duggar’s alleged actions until about three years later, when an anonymous tip brought the reported sexual abuse to light. As the statutes of limitations had expired by then, no charges were ever filed against Josh Duggar.
Huckabee maintains that reporters are hyping the story in an effort to harm the large, pro-Christian family.
“No one needs to defend Josh’s actions as a teenager, but the fact that he confessed his sins to those he harmed, sought help, and has gone forward to live a responsible and circumspect life as an adult is testament to his family’s authenticity and humility. Those who have enjoyed revealing this long ago sins [sic] 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,” he added.
The former Arkansas governor reaffirmed in his statement that he loves the Duggar family and their “Christian witness” remains unmarred by these latest revelations.
“[F]ollowing 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,” Huckabee said.
“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,” he added.
Josh Duggar said in a statement to People magazine Thursday that he deeply regrets the actions of his youth.
“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,” Duggar said.
“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,” he added.
The Duggar parents have also released a statement defending their son.
