Huckabee stands by Duggar family: 'Good people make mistakes'

Mike Huckabee is standing by the Duggars after Josh, the oldest son of the “19 Kids and Counting” family that makes its home in Arkansas, admitted to reports that he molested children, including his own siblings, as a teenager.

Duggar, now 27 and living in Washington, D.C., resigned from his position with the Family Research Council on Thursday after a report from InTouch magazine detailed numerous cases of when he allegedly sexually abused his own siblings and another child who was not a family member. He and his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, later confirmed the report to People magazine, along with his wife, Anna, with whom he has three children and a fourth due this summer.


“No purpose whatsoever is served by those who are now trying to discredit Josh or his family by sensationalizing the story,” the former governor said in a Facebook post Friday. “Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things.”

Huckabee said that the law protects minors’ identities in these cases because “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,” he continued, noting that those enjoying the revelation of Josh’s “long ago sins” only “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.”

Huckabee said he and his wife love the 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,” he wrote.