Jason Duggar can’t possibly defend what his brother has done.
But family is family, right?
That’s basically the message Duggar sent on Thursday afternoon, one day after his sibling, Josh, was sentenced to ove 12 years in prison due to his conviction on child sex abuse charges in Decembe.
Josh will soon report to a Federal penitentiary in Texas.
“In my opinion, Judge Timothy L. Brooks was fair in his ruling giving Josh a sentence that would be considered below the median for the crimes he has committed,” Jason wrote in a lengthy statement shared to his Instagram Story today.
Continued this Duggar’s response to the ruling:
“My heart is grieved over the choices my brother has made, his actions do not reflect that of a Christian believer and have doubtlessly defamed my Lord and Saviors name!!
“Joshua’s poor decisions have greatly effected those around him, in particular his wife, seven children and our family as a whole.”
Josh, of course, was found guilty of downloading sexually graphic material of kids under the age of 12.
According to the prosecution in his case, Josh downloaded hundreds of these photos and videos, which Judge Brooks labeled as “the sickest of the sick” upon handing out his sentence on May 25.
As noted, Jason acknowledges that his brother committed grievous crimes.
But he can’t simply turn his back on a family member.
“With that said, I will never stop loving my brother, regardless of what he does, just as my savior has forgiven me so I have forgiven my brother of his wrongdoings!” Jason concluded.
“My prayer is that God will use this circumstance to truly humble him and bring about a true change in his life!”
Jason is only the second Duggar sibling so far to issue a statement in response to Josh’s punishment.
Also on Thursday, Jill Duggar and her husband posted this message on their official blog:
“The last several weeks and months have been difficult emotionally.
“Yesterday was another one of those hard days.
“The Bible clearly states that God effects justice and vengeance through the governing authorities.”
“Though some believe Josh should have received a greater sentence and still fewer believe he should have received a lighter sentence, God has carried out his vengeance today for his unspeakable criminal activity.”
Jill added that she’s glad her brother has been “held accountable” for his heinous actions, and she also hopes he gets the professional help he clearly needs.
“It is unfortunate, but it seems that it may take spending over a decade in federal prison, and still more on probation, for Josh to have any potential for rehabilitation to the point he can safely live in society again,” the post continued.
“Hopefully, Josh can actually begin to get treatment and begin to work toward a lifestyle where he is less likely to reoffend.”
Concluded the couple:
“If for nothing else, the notoriety of this case has hopefully contributed to the deterrence of potential offenders and will help protect children by decreasing the demand for [Child Sexual Abuse Material].”
The Dillards concluded their post by stating that they “continue to love Josh and his family,” while offering to be there to support them in whatever ways they can.
Elsewhere, Amy Duggar said her cousin should be locked up for even longer than 12 years.
Aside from his prison sentence and fine, the judge also ruled Josh would not be allowed unsupervised visits with his children.
“You have done some very bad things. But in your life as a whole, you’ve done good things,” the judge said in court yesterday.
“The true test of a man’s character is what a man does when no one is watching.”