Mike Huckabee stands by Josh Duggar, reality star accused of molesting underage girls


Most prominent Republicans are wisely keeping mum about the controversy surrounding Josh Duggar, the conservative reality television star who on Thursday acknowledged reports that he had confessed to sexually molesting five underage girls when he himself was a teenager. But not presidential aspirant Mike Huckabee, who has come out with a forceful statement expressing his support for Duggar, saying, "No purpose whatsoever is served by those who are now trying to discredit Josh or his family by sensationalizing the story."
// CDATA[// CDATA[(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#scayt-misspell-word" data-scayt-word="xfbml">xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'scayt-misspell-word" data-scayt-word="facebook-jssdk">facebook-jssdk'));// ]]>
Janet and I want to affirm our support for the Duggar family. Josh’s actions when he was an underage teen are as he...Posted by Mike Huckabee on Friday, May 22, 2015
While Duggar is best known to the public as one of the stars of TLC's reality show 19 Kids and Counting (a reference to Duggar's very large Evangelical family), he is deeply embroiled in conservative politics. Once the scandal broke, Duggar stepped down from his post as the head of the political arm of the Family Research Council, the influential conservative group that has long campaigned against abortion and gay marriage.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
September 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include court-approved racial profiling and America's moral compass
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictator
In the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants