UNITED STATES
Talking Points Memo

By CATHERINE THOMPSON
Published MAY 22, 2015

Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) on Friday rushed to the defense of Josh Duggar, the eldest child of the family made famous by TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” who is now publicly facing allegations that he molested young girls when he was a teenager.

“Josh’s actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, ‘inexcusable,’ but that doesn’t mean ‘unforgivable,’” Huckabee wrote in a Facebook post. “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.”

The Christian, ultra-conservative Duggar family endorsed Huckabee during the 2008 election cycle and did so again when he announced his…