RadarOnline reports that Jim Bob Duggar is up against “renewed scrutiny” after a resurfaced clip shows the reality TV father praising his son Joseph's good judgment.
In Jim Bob Duggar’s new footage, the father expressed unwavering confidence in Joseph, claiming: "Joseph is somebody that could stand alone if there were situations that he needed to. We really believe he will do what's right in any given situation."
The remarks, said RadarOnline, have adopted a “far darker tone in hindsight” because they are emerging after Joseph's confession to inappropriately touching a 9-year-old girl.
To Joseph Duggar’s credit, Radar Online reports Joseph “admitted to his crimes” while on a monitored phone call with the victim's father and police, according to an affidavit viewed by People. During the call, Joseph "admitted his actions," telling them that "he touched the victim over her clothing."
He also reportedly said that "his intentions were not pure." The affidavit also states that Joseph later “apologized,” and that "the incidents stopped occurring after the defendant apologized for his actions."
Joseph Duggar has since been found guilty of “possessing and receiving” child sexual abuse material. He is currently serving 12 years.
Earlier this month, Arkansas police arrested Kendra Duggar, Joseph Duggar’s wife, on an unrelated matter, suggesting things are going awry with the controversial right-wing religious family.
Out Magazine columnist Josh Ackley alleged the Duggar men appear to be following a "pattern that is, by now, painfully familiar, and wondered if the "deeply patriarchal form of conservative Christianity" is part of the problem, as it isn't unique to religious sects.
The allegations against the family began in 2015, after Josh Duggar, Joseph's elder brother, was discovered to have abused five children, four of whom were his sisters.