The Duggars Knowingly Lied During Fox News Interview

Confessed child molester Josh Duggar

I have very little regard for Fox News - or Faux News as I call it on this blog - and I have even less regard for Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar who not only protected their sexual molester son instead of immediately turning him over to the proper legal authorities.  Moreover, when these two con-artist freak show participants went on Faux News this past week to supposedly tell the truth about the ongoing sex abuse scandal involving their son Josh, Jim Bob and Michelle knowingly and deliberately lied giving further credence to my argument that when Christofascists' lips are moving, the safest assumption is that they are lying.  In Touch which first broke the Duggar scandal story has now reviewed Jim Bob and Michelle Duggars disingenuous interview on Fox News and identfied seven different deliberate lies during the interview.  TLC need to cancel their show immediately if it has not yet done so,  Here are highlights from In Touch's latest coverage:

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar broke their silence about son Josh’s sexual molestation scandal on Wednesday night, but their interview was filled with misinformation and the reality TV couple also withheld crucial facts, according to public documents, obtained by In Touch magazine through the Freedom of Information Act.

1) One of the most glaring omissions by the family concerns their statements about the 2006 Springdale Police Department investigation. The Duggars gave the viewing audience the impression that they fully cooperated, saying, “We trusted them, we trusted the police department.” But the Springdale police report, obtained by In Touch through FOIA, reveals that Jim Bob refused to produce Josh for a police-requested interview and stopped cooperating with the probe.

2) When discussing the legal situation surrounding Josh’s confession of molestation, Jim Bob told Fox News that he and Michelle were “not mandatory reporters, the law allows parents to do what they think is best for their child.” Not so. While they are not mandatory reporters, the law does not allow them to do what they think is best for their child in this situation, multiple legal experts tell In Touch.

By not reporting the at-least SEVEN instances of abuse on at least THREE occasions during a period of more than a year, they could have faced felony charges for child endangerment, with a six-year prison term. . . . . The maximum penalty for permitting this type of abuse under Arkansas Code 5-4-401 is six years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.” The new issue of In Touch magazine has complete details on the Duggars’ cover-up and how it could have landed them in prison.

3) Jim Bob suggested the records of Josh’s crimes were released because the Springdale police chief, Kathy O’Kelley, may have taken a bribe. . . . . .In Touch has a paper trail that proves city attorneys reviewed the FOI request and approved the records' release. Further, Jim Bob’s “bribe or personal agenda” explanation for the records' release loses all credibility in light of the fact that a SECOND police report detailing Josh’s crimes was obtained by In Touch magazine through FOIA. 

4) Jim Bob and sympathetic host Megyn Kelly repeatedly referred to the records as being “illegally released.” Not so, say legal experts. That claim is “disputed by the law enforcement agencies involved, the Arkansas Press Association and attorneys with expertise in public-document cases involving the state's Freedom of Information Act,” according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

5) The Duggars did not address the fact that they were investigated by the Department of Human Services after the 2006 police probe was terminated due to the statute of limitations. They have not said what the results of the DHS investigation were.

6) Megyn Kelly said that the Duggars “hadn’t gotten a heads-up” about the release of Josh’s police report and the Duggars did not dispute that. But In Touch has obtained documents that show the city of Springdale alerted them before releasing the records. The law does not require the city to alert someone before their records are released pursuant to a FOIA request.

7) Jim Bob made it clear that he took Josh to talk to the police and randomly happened to end up with Trooper Jim Hutchens. (Hutchens is now serving a 56-year-prison term on child pornography charges, as reported exclusively by In Touch magazine.) . . . .But Hutchens was interviewed from prison by a representative from a local law firm hired by In Touch and contradicts Jim Bob’s story. He said he knew Jim Bob well from his job and had even taught a couple of classes to car dealerships with him. In addition, Hutchens – who was not promised anything in return for his interview and told only that it was part of an investigation – said that Jim Bob specifically sought him out to talk to Josh. 

The take away?  Jim Bob and Michelle Duggars are liars and they lie intentinally. Sadly, they are the face of what Christianity has become in America: lying, hate filled bigots who are the antithesis of Christ's gospel message.  Yes, there are "good Christians" if you will, but like the "good Germans" of the 1930's, they sit on their hands and remain silent and allow horrible things to be said and done.  The are as a result part of the problem.  It' no coincidence that the growing exodus of the Millennials from organized religion tracks the rise of the Christofascists in the GOP.  If the "good Christians" will not speak up and challenge the Christofascists, then Christianity deserves to die.