Mike Huckabee Responds to Josh Duggar Child Molestation Controversy

Gov. Mike Huckabee responded Friday to controversy surrounding the Duggar family after one of the TLC reality television stars apologized following a tabloid report alleging he molested underage girls more than a decade ago as a teenager.

On Thursday, Josh Duggar resigned from his post at the Family Research Council and released a statement saying he was "extremely sorry" for his former actions.

"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," Huckabee wrote in a Facebook post.

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[sharequote align="right"]"Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things."[/sharequote]

"Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things," the former Arkansas governor continued. "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."

The Republican presidential candidate then turned his attention to those who have gone after Josh Duggar in recent days.

"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," Huckabee wrote.

He concluded, "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."

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