| Rebecca Macatee 28. Mai 2015 – 07:39
Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, a longtime Duggar family friend, is breaking his silence on the controversy surrounding one of the 19 Kids and Counting stars.
In an interview with Good Morning America‘s George Stephanopoulos that aired Thursday morning, the Christian conservative said he was “sickened” by allegations that Josh Duggar molested underage girls back when he was a young teenager. (Josh, now 27, has acknowledged that 12 years ago he “acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret.”)
“I was sickened by it. I was just sickened by it,” said Santorum, who had the Duggar family’s vocal support during his 2012 presidential bid. “I pray for those girls in particular.”
NEWS: Josh Duggar and family address reported accusation that he molested underage girls as a teen
Unlike another Republican and fellow presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, Santorum did not defend the embattled 19 Kids and Counting star.
“Josh’s actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, ‘inexcusable,’ but that doesn’t mean ‘unforgivable,'” Huckabee, currently serving as governor of Arkansas, noted in a Facebook post Friday. “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.”
NEWS: Jessa Duggar’s father-in-law weighs in on Josh Duggar and resurfaced molestation allegations
“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 [sic] is not mature,” continued Gov. Huckabee. “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.”
E! News reached out to a Duggar family rep for comment as to whether they will be publicly supporting Huckabee or Santorum in the GOP race, but we did not receive an immediate response. In the meantime, TLC has pulled episodes of 19 Kids and Counting from its schedule amid resurfaced allegations and several advertisers have cut ties with the program as well.
More celebrity scandals
: