Mike Huckabee accuses media of 'exploiting' Josh Duggar's victims

Home Top

BREAKING NEWS: 'We no longer expect a new addition to our family': Pregnant who inexplicably vanished on day of C-section lost her child... but it remains unclear how the baby died
Married female prison worker CONFESSES that she was set to drive getaway vehicle for Shawshank escapees but changed her mind
EXCLUSIVE: Accomplice of 'Shawshank' escapee Richard Matt, who was released from prison last summer, is living in fear as his graphic testimony helped convict deranged killer and sentence him to life
The brutal culture of violence at notorious 'Shawshank' prison where 'Lucky Luciano', Tupac and ODB all did time
Shawshank escapees 'cornered' in tiny New York town by hundreds of officers with guns drawn after being 'forced to flee on foot when their getaway driver didn't show'
EXCLUSIVE: 18-year-old daughter of Queen of Versailles stars died HOME ALONE of 'overdose' while 'distant' family vacationed in Las Vegas, heartbroken nanny reveals
American body in suitcase teen set to hand over baby she had prison to Australian family while she serves ten years for murdering her socialite mom
Scientists solve mystery of the milky rain: Strange phenomenon in Pacific Northwest was caused by dust
Revealed: Homer and Marge SEPARATE in season 27 of The Simpsons... and why Girls star Lena Dunham is to blame
Tearful WNBA star Brittney Griner says her month-long marriage was 'a huge mistake' that she felt pressured into by her pregnant wife
Fertility hope for millions of cancer patients as young woman who had chemo gives birth using ovarian tissue - frozen when she was a CHILD
One dose of the HPV vaccine 'offers same protection against cervical cancer as two or three doses currently given', experts reveal
School superintendent who pressed charges against people for celebrating too loudly at a high school graduation drops the charges
Three jurors dismissed from Dark Knight theater massacre case after talking about media coverage of the murder trial
Pool party cop QUITS: 10-year veteran officer resigns after video surfaces of him throwing bikini-clad black teen to the ground
Hundreds march through McKinney to call for firing of cop who pulled out gun and slammed black teen to the ground at pool party
Louisiana blocks release of last remaining incarcerated member of the Angola 3 who was set to walk free after FOUR DECADES in solitary confinement
'Horrific and inflammatory' phone footage of cops brutally beating a 'mentally ill' suspect sparks investigation
Undercover 'Biker cop' faces up to seven years in prison as he's convicted over brawl that left banker beaten in front of his wife and toddler
EXCLUSIVE: Marilyn Monroe had purple blotches on her face, false teeth and 'didn't take care of herself' reveals mortician who prepared her and other stars for burial
Your birth month DOES determine if you'll get sick: Researchers reveal the ailments you are most at risk from
Was Obama SMOKING at the G-7 summit? President pictured holding 'packet of cigarettes' during cozy balcony chat with Italian Prime Minister
Pothole-busting car detects craters, warns other drivers of the hazards and will even share the locations of the holes with councils
Disney gives first peek at Frozen Ever After log ride coming to Walt Disney World's Epcot center next year

Huckabee lashed out at media for exposing Josh Duggar's abuses
He said the parents 'took many steps that others don't take in similar cases'
Last month he posted support for them on his site but it was deleted
His latest statement echoes Jill and Jessa Duggar who called their brother's touching 'subtle' and 'mild', and said they felt more victimized by the media

Published: 12:11 EST, 9 June 2015 | Updated: 14:07 EST, 9 June 2015

View
comments

Mike Huckabee has defended the Duggar family for the second time over revelations that the oldest son Josh molested five young girls and his parents covered it up.

The Republican presidential candidate was one of the first and few people to declare support for the reality stars when legal documents detailing the abuse were made public last month.

And despite intense backlash, he appeared on Fox News last night to reaffirm his ties with the politically active Arkansas family after their show, 19 Kids And Counting, was pulled from the air.

'They took many, many steps that many parents don’t take under similar circumstances,' the former Arkansas governor told Megyn Kelly on Monday, referring to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Speaking out: Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee appeared on Fox News to accuse the media of doing more harm to the Duggar children by releasing the police report detailing Josh Duggar's abuses

Support: Josh Duggar (right) has been a staunch supporter of Mike Huckabee's 2016 presidential campaign

A young Josh poses with his father Jim Bob and then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in 2004

The blame, he said, should lie with the media for uncovering Josh Duggar's abuses in 2002 and 2003. Josh, now 27, was never charged over the offenses as by the time it reached police attention the statute of limitations had passed.

'There was no interest in the media to protect those girl,' Huckabee said. 'How were the victims served by the exploitation... the illegal, unlawful release of that information?'

His words echoed statements released by Jill and Jessa Duggar, two of the alleged victims, who said the media attention was more hurtful than their brother's alleged abuse.

The two sisters largely downplayed what went on between themselves and their older brother, calling the inappropriate touching ‘subtle’ and 'mild.'

‘It wasn’t like a horror story or this terrible thing,’ Jessa insisted in the interview, as both siblings stressed that the two of them and the rest of their family, including Josh, had dealt with the trauma and put it behind them a long time ago.

In May, Mike Huckabee posted a statement of support for the Duggars on his campaign website, which features numerous pictures of the former governor with Josh, Jim Bob and Michelle.

Though the post was later deleted, he went on to post a similar message on his official Facebook page.

It read: 'Janet and I want to affirm our support for the Duggar family. Josh’s actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, "inexcusable," but that doesn’t mean "unforgivable".

MIKE HUCKABEE STATEMENT LAST MONTH AFTER THE NEWS EMERGED

Janet and I want to affirm our support for the Duggar family. 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. 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. 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.

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 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.

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.

Speaking out: Jill and Jessa Duggar said the media attention was 'a thousand times worse' than their abuse

Defending themselves: Michelle and Jim Bob insist they did everything they could to support their children

Josh and Anna with Huckabee. Their support was a major win for Huckabee over his Republican rivals

Politically active: Jim Bob and Michelle have become heavyweights in Conservative politics. Here they are pictured speaking at an event alongside the Huckabees

Jim Bob and Michelle with Huckabee, whose campaign that are heavily involved with

'He and his family dealt with it and were honest and open about it with the victims and the authorities. 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.'

Christian, Conservative, and family-oriented, the Duggars have carved out a strong position in right-wing politics since their show first aired in 2008.

It helped that Jim Bob, 49, was already involved in politics before 19 Kids And Counting, as he served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002.

But now every member of the clan holds political sway.

In their 2014 book, Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships, eldest daughters Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger begin the chapter by outlining how to select a candidate.

JOSH DUGGAR'S MOLESTATION OF MINORS

In March of 2002 an unnamed minor said that Josh Duggar, then 14, 'had been touching her breasts and genitals while she slept.'

He would admit to this a few months later in July, and a member of the family claims they had a meeting to discuss the incident.

Then, in March 2003, 'several' minors came forward to say that Josh had been touching them 'when they sleep,' leading to his father Jim Bob holding another family meeting and deciding to speak with elders at the family's church about the offenses.

It was suggested that Josh should enter a treatment program, at which point he spent four months in Little Rock, Arkansas helping a family friend remodel a building.

Upon his return, Jim Bob informed those aware of the situation that Josh had received counseling and took him to a family friend who was a state trooper to reveal what had occurred, resulting in the teenager getting a stern lecture but no formal report being filed by police.

By all accounts the offenses stopped and Josh apologized to the victim, but some time in 2006 an individual in the church who had borrowed a book from the Duggars found a note detailing Josh's molestation of minors.

That person then sent that information in an email to The Oprah Winfrey Show shortly before the Duggars were set to appear, and they in turn notified authorities who began conducted an investigation.

Jim Bob and Michelle along with all the victims were interviewed, though Josh was made unavailable to speak by his parents and no charges were pursued in the end as the statute of limitations had by that point run out.

They urge young voters to register and then find the 'conservative Christian' who is running in their area so they can check his or her record and make sure their beliefs match their own before giving their support.

And Josh held an executive role at the Family Research Council before having to step down following the release of a police report that detailed his molestation of five minors in 2002 and 2003.

Earlier this year, as presidential hopefuls began to declare for the 2016 run, speculation over who the Duggars would endorse became headline news.

Despite backing Rick Santorum in 2012, the family sparked controversy by switching allegiance to Mike Huckabee this year.

And now Huckabee appears to be returning the show of support.

On his campaign site, he features a quote from Michelle: 'Mike Huckabee is a man of faith who is very wise He will help get our nation back on track.'

Jim Bob says: 'America needs Governor Huckabee for president! Governor Huckabee has the communication skills of Ronald Reagan, and a common sense business approach to government.'

Josh's endorsements have been pulled after he admitted to the abuses.

In a statement he said: '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.'

His parents added: '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.'

‘I was like, shocked… OK, that is strange,’ Jessa, who was 9 or 10 years old at the time, said. ‘I didn’t know what happened until my parents told me.’

Jill, who was 12 when the inappropriate touching took place, recalled feeling ‘sad' and ‘shocked’ at the revelation.

‘This is my older brother whom I love, a lot,’ she remembered feeling.

Jessa Duggar also pointed out that she know 'so many girls who go through things way worse.'

The 22-year-old mother-to-be told the Fox News host: 'I do want to speak up in his defense against people who are calling him a child molester or a pedophile or a rapist, some people are saying.

'I'm like, that is so overboard and a lie, really. I mean, people get mad at me for saying that but I am like, I can say this, you know? I was one of the victims.'

The girls did not entirely excuse their brother's actions, however, though even when they did point out a negative behavior the pair seemed too quickly find a way to explain or justify his actions.

'Josh was a boy, a young boy in puberty and a little too curious about girls,' explained Jessa.

Controversy: The Duggar family's reality show 19 Kids And Counting was pulled from the air after a police report was made public that revealed Josh (right) abused five underage girls in 2002 and 2003

'And that got him into some trouble. And he made some bad choices, but, really, the extent of it was mild – inappropriate touching on fully clothed victims, most of it while [the] girls were sleeping. '

After Josh Duggar, then 14, confessed the truth about fondling his sisters in their sleep to his parents, he came and asked Jill and Jessa individually for forgiveness.

The young women said they had a choice to make, and they chose to forgive him, but it took some time for them to rebuild the trust – time that Josh Duggar spent away from the rest of the clan at the command of his parents.

‘He knew in his mind his actions were wrong,’ Jessa Duggar said of her brother.

The sisters said when Josh Duggar was finally allowed to return home, he was a changed person who appeared both humbled and repentant.

‘Josh destroyed that trust in the beginning, and he had to rebuild it,’ said Jill.