When news broke Thursday that Josh Duggar had confessed to molesting young girls and resigned his position at the Christian conservative Family Research Council organization, the political world awaited a response from Mike Huckabee, who had recently secured an endorsement from Duggar’s parents, 19 Kids and Counting reality stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.

Friday morning, Huckabee posted a long message of support for the family on his Facebook page, asserting in now uncertain terms that he and his wife “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,'” Huckabee continued. “He and his family dealt with it and were honest and open about it with the victims and the authorities.” Huckabee proceeded to criticize the “blood-thirsty” media for “sensationalizing the story.”

However, as newly-released police reports revealed, Jim Bob Duggar did not go to the authorities to report the incidents until more than a year after Josh Duggar confessed what he had done to them.

“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,” Huckabee wrote. “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.”

RELATED: Montel Williams Goes Off on ‘Scumbag’ Josh Duggar: ‘Gay People Are the Danger to Kids?’

What Huckabee does not mention in his lengthy post is the inherent contradiction between the message Josh Duggar has been paid to promote — that homosexuality is harmful to children — and his own behavior as a young teenager.

As of Friday afternoon, the Duggars are still featured prominently on Huckabee’s campaign website home page:

Read Huckabee’s full post below, via Facebook:

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.

[Photo via Twitter]

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