Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are due to talk with Megyn Kelly on Wednesday. But by all rights, they need to be answering questions under oath. It's been said several times, but it bears repeating--what the Duggars and the elders of their church did here, on the face of it, amounts to child endangerment. It's egregious enough that it demands a criminal investigation. Tell the local prosecutor to start one. I mentioned this on Saturday, but I'm throwing this out again for the benefit of the at-work crowd.
Let's consider what we know about this case. Even though Josh's actions went light years beyond what can reasonably be considered childhood experimentation, Jim Bob and Michelle waited a year before telling anyone--and only after a second incident came to light and they learned the abuse had at the very least started up again. They then went to their elders, who waited another three months before sending Josh to a supposed counseling program. When Josh came back, they went to a state trooper friend of theirs who only gave a stern lecture to Josh--though he now admits he should have reported it right away. When a formal investigation was launched in 2006, the Duggars' failure to cooperate partially contributed to it foundering when the statute of limitations ran out.
This is unacceptable. This is dangerous. This is something that no civilized society can tolerate. Any other parents or church officials who did this would have long since been arrested and charged by now. This is no different. Washington County prosecuting attorney Matt Burrett needs to launch a criminal investigation--if for no other reason than to restore confidence in the system. In the unlikely event that there is a statute of limitations, it shouldn't apply because the Duggars' failure to report Josh's actions appears to be the definition of fraudulent conduct. Indeed, the trooper's claim that Jim Bob lied to him about the extent of Josh's actions by itself qualifies as fraudulent conduct. As most of us know, it is well established that statutes of limitations don't apply when the defendant engages in fraudulent behavior.
Sign this petition to tell Burrett to investigate the Duggars and their elders. It will send an email directly to Burnett; this morning he came to work to find almost 200 of these emails. If this can get to 1,000, Burrett will have to at least take notice. At the very least, an investigation will force the Duggars to answer for their actions of a decade ago under oath--even if it's only before a grand jury.