Jim Bob Duggar Once Said Incest Is a Crime That Should Be Punishable By Death…
When Josh Duggar confessed that allegations he molested his own sisters were true, his parents — Jim Bob and Michelle — released a statement saying they supported their son despite his heinous actions.
This is a far cry from where the 19 Kids and Counting patriarch once stood on incest, as Gawker unearthed the 49-year-old’s 2002 senatorial campaign website — in which he likened rape and incest to crimes punishable by death.
Jim Bob unsuccessfully ran for United States Senate in 2002.
Screenshots (available above via web cache) reveal Jim Bob once felt, “Rape and incest represent heinous crimes and as such, should be treated as capital crimes.”
As the startling police report — obtained and published by In Touch Weekly through a Freedom of Information Act request — revealed, Jim Bob and his wife knew about the assaults that took place under their roof, but failed to take action until more than a year after the fact.
RELATED: Watch as Josh Duggar Makes an Incest Joke on a 2008 Episode of 19 Kids and Counting…
In the police report, the 27-year-old’s parents allege they spoke to church elders about the molestation, and claimed they sent Josh to a counselor to deal with his issues — though Michelle eventually clarified he was actually sent “to a family friend who was in the home remodeling business.”
When announcing their decision to stand by their son’s side despite his controversial and troubling past, the parents-of-19 said in a joint statement, “Back 12 years ago, our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives. When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes, and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused him to seek God like never before.
“Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God. We pray that as people watch our lives they see we are not a perfect family.
“We have challenges and struggles everyday. It is one of the reasons we treasure our faith so much because God’s kindness and goodness and forgiveness are extended to us — even though we are so undeserving. We hope somehow the story of our journey — the good times and the difficult times — cause you to see the kindness of God and learn that He can bring you through anything.”
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