Kelly File: Duggar Interview Part 2 2015.06.05

[lulee]

Megyn Kelly is a former lawyer so why would she go on air claiming the police report was obtained illegally? It's been bugging me since the interview happened.

My guess is that she was told to. However much editorial control she typically has, I'd bet she had less on these interviews.

[Julia]

My guess is that she was told to. However much editorial control she typically has, I'd bet she had less on these interviews.

 

This. I've been pretty sure since this was first scheduled that at least one major objective was to establish some kind of narrative that would help [basically every major prospective presidential candidate] who got their picture taken with Josh at CPAC or got some form of Duggar campaign support. I think there are a lot of people whose only detailed information on all this comes from Fox, and their takeaway is going to have "liberal media" in it somewhere. Kelly really took one for the team here.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Julia

[frenchtoast]

UPDATED GUIDELINES AS OF JUNE 9, 2015

 

We’re updating the pinned guidelines as things have settled a little.

 

Discussion Guidelines
Don't be a jerk. That's really it but to be specific on some past pain points there are these guidelines (which have been serving us well so far) and we appeal to your better angels to continue to follow them:

• Don't be gross, there are real people involved. Be respectful of the victims and mindful of fact vs conjecture.
• Don't speculate about the specific identity of the victims.  Yes, we know most of them were his sisters and that's more than enough for us to know.
• Don't speculate about whether Josh was behind further abuse, whether he was abused, who else might have abused someone else, etc.
• Don't lecture, scold, or snark on your fellow posters

As posting has resumed normal levels, we will start resuming our normal mod activities which include contacting posters with posts that are either not following these guidelines or any that may be inflammatory or problematic.

[CherryAmes]

Huckabee is on the Kelly File now talking about it. Not sure if anyone has mentioned that yet because I've not caught up on everything today yet.

 

Somewhat predictably he tried to blame the whole mess on the liberal media.  It looks like he's successfully managed to ignore the many conservatives who wrote to him concerned about his support for the Duggars in favour of continuing to play to the religious right.  I am guessing he doesn't actually think he's got a chance at the presidency.

[JenCarroll]

Somewhat predictably he tried to blame the whole mess on the liberal media.  It looks like he's successfully managed to ignore the many conservatives who wrote to him concerned about his support for the Duggars in favour of continuing to play to the religious right.  I am guessing he doesn't actually think he's got a chance at the presidency.

Oh, he knows he doesn't have a chance. He's running partly to send a message to Fox about how much they need him, and partly to help push the entire field to the right. Also probably for the sheer ego boost of it. Notice he's the only candidate really engaging in the issue at all.

I have no read at all on whether Huckabee's support will have any effect on the outcome for the Duggars. I'm sure they have a lot of mutual followers.

[bluebonnet]

Yup, Bubba Huck is the party pusher*.  Think of his 'campaign' as similar to a televangelist's ministry.  He's converting people, politically, as far right as he can nudge them so that the rest of the field need to shift a bit more in a right direction in order to pick up this base.  Importantly (for his party, not for the good of humanity), he's doing a lot of work to get as many far right candidates into local and state offices.  He's also selling books along the way.  

 

 

 

*This isn't just a Republican thing, to be clear.  The two major parties always have their party pushers, and they don't always push in a single direction.  

[bigskygirl]

Okay, this is not the Mike Huckabee running for office and his association with the Duggar clan thread. Unless he was mentioned in the interview, please do not discuss him. I am sure there are thousands of Huckabee/Josh Duggar/rest of the family political association with him forums to talk about this one issue. Any posts going off topic in relations to him will be deleted or edited. Thank you.

[Lemur]

 

Megyn Kelly is a former lawyer so why would she go on air claiming the police report was obtained illegally? It's been bugging me since the interview happened.

 

As for that, she's speaking out of her rectum.

 

Just because she is a former lawyer doesn't mean she passed the Arkansas Bar (which would cover the Arkansas version of the FIOA under which the report was released), or even took a course in Municipal Law.  I work in financial services, and my lawyers are no better versed in Municipal Law than I am (probably a little less).  Kelly graduated from a NY law school and practiced in IL.  She probably passed the bar in both states as I don't believe they have reciprocity.  Also, she was a litigator and corporate counsel.  That's a far, far cry from the type of knowledge and experience needed to comment competently on whether or not the FIOA was correctly handled.  (Don't be fooled, folks.  Just because someone says they are a lawyer, it doesn't mean they actually know what they're talking about.  You wouldn't let your podiatrist operate on your brain, would you?)

Edited June 9, 2015 by Lemur

[HumblePi]

Jessa and Jill were age 10 and 12 respectively when Jim Bob or Michelle approached them to inform them that they had been touched inappropriately by their brother on more than one occasion? They had no idea, shocked. If we're all supposed to believe Jim Bob and Michelle that their daughters never realized that Josh touched their breasts or vaginal area without them even knowing it, then we should all believe that Peter Pan is a real boy that never grew up. That pink elephants can fly. And we should all believe that if we eat a tiny piece of magic cake, we can shrink.

 

The egregious way in which Michelle and Jim Bob attempted to shield, hide and protect Joshua in exchange for the innocence and risk of their daughters is not only disgusting, it's illegal and damaging.

 

InTouch got a tip that a “plane used by the Duggars show that it flew to the location of their crisis public relations specialist prior to giving these interviews in an attempt to save their TLC show.” The Duggars also met with “their own PR team” ahead of the interviews.

 

It's clear that the Duggar's are in a panic and scrambling to save their reality show and to clear the path for the Jessa and Jill spinoff. Josh and the Duggar family has a lot riding on them being able to turn this catastrophe around in their favor. They all have a lot to lose as far as credibility and fan base but the largest loss will be monetarily. There's been extensive attempts at damage control by TLC and the Duggar's to save this show. Can we even imagine, considering the success of this stupid show, if this never came out about Josh, how many more decades TLC would continue to follow the lives of this family and extended families?

Edited June 9, 2015 by HumblePi

[JenCarroll]

As for that, she's speaking out of her rectum.

 

Just because she is a former lawyer doesn't mean she passed the Arkansas Bar (which would cover the Arkansas version of the FIOA under which the report was released), or even took a course in Municipal Law.

It's probably not even covered in the bar exam; that's the sort of thing you'd learn in Continuing Legal Education, on your own, or not at all. Lawyers aren't expected to know every single law of every jurisdiction in their state, or even all of the state laws. They're supposed to know how to look those things up quickly and efficiently, and to use their overall understanding of how the law operates, to determine how each statute or municipal law applies in a given situation.

So basically yeah, she's talking out of her rear end.

[sometimesy]

I believe Josh told his parents at some point because part of their philosophy is to tell your parents all your private thought (eww). That alone has to stifle a normal teen.

 

Also, I did not like to see Jessa/Jill whichever one, speak for the other victims.

 

Another thought, there is no way in hell a PR specialist directed this catastrophe. They must have been given some key points: refer to Josh as a child or boy, avoid the topic of the victims as much as possible and focus on what you DID do. JimBob and Michelle are not bright enough to adjust during the interview to make it seem natural. Then having Jessa and Jill focus on the SAME points, to the point that both nights answers were being dodged, is unbelievable that it is their experience and not their group 'story'.

[Aja]

I can't even imagine the dark place a PR firm must be in to agree to try to turn incestuous child molestation into a good thing.

[sometimesy]

I can't even imagine the dark place a PR firm must be in to agree to try to turn incestuous child molestation into a good thing.

If they did use Huckabee's PR firm, it may have been because they are linked to him? Trying to save Huck's reputation?

[JenCarroll]

Or no one else would take them on, and Huck was able to pressure his guys?

[Lemur]

Hey, even PR people gotta eat. 

[Bella]

Hey, even PR people gotta eat. 

 

Plus, some aren't very good at what they purport to do, some have bad clients who think they know best, and some just want to make their reputations from a high-profile case.

[Lemur]

Plus, some aren't very good at what they purport to do, some have bad clients who think they know best, and some just want to make their reputations from a high-profile case.

 

*cough* JimBob *cough*

[bubbls]

I think the mods need some flowers and chocolates!

[TheRealT]

One of the many disturbing aspects of their use of the term "inappropriate touching" instead of "molesting" is that, to them, acts as innocent and harmless as giving a full-frontal hug to one's sibling, friend, or fiance(e) constitute "inappropriate touching." In terms of the language they use, they make no distinction between consensual hand-holding and touching your sisters' breasts and vulvas without their consent. From a PR perspective, I think they're doing it intentionally in hopes that casual viewers of the media circus will be left with the impression that what Josh did was only "inappropriate" by the Duggars' (oh-so-incredibly-godly) standards. But in terms of their own family, it must be so confusing for the kids (even Josh) to hear them describe what Josh did in the same way as they describe siblings who have aged into sex segregation giving each other a hug. It's just so warped. They see human interaction that is natural and normal as twisted and dirty and see deviant behavior as natural and normal.

Edited June 9, 2015 by TheRealT

[GEML]

I guess I do see it somewhat differently. If it really did happen a long time ago and you were under the impression this was behind you, then I don't blame anyone for trying to protect their livelihood. That's just a very general statement that I would make about anyone.

That doesn't, of course, address the far more complicated ethical issue of doing a show in the first place, or how badly I think they have handled things (I don't think they should have done any interviews) but I don't think they should be necessarily criticized for wanting to save their show because it brings in money. I dare say most of us like our standard of living and having income and would be upset if it were taken away for something in our pasts that was over a decade ago.

[Jellybeans]

If I had my show taken away by my idiotic brother I would be damn pissed. Why would I not be?

Wouldn't you be pissed if you wanted to stay on the show?

This is not a question about being "fame whores".

[Marigny]

I think the mods need some flowers and chocolates!

And wine. Lots of wine. 

[Ripley68]

I know this is horrible to admit...but I have to say that I really want to know how these kids grow up and turn out.  Being the person I am, it will pop in my mind in the future and drive me crazy wondering what's going on in their lives.  I'm sad.

[Jellybeans]

I know this is horrible to admit...but I have to say that I really want to know how these kids grow up and turn out.  Being the person I am, it will pop in my mind in the future and drive me crazy wondering what's going on in their lives.  I'm sad.

Nothing horrible about it.

[Churchhoney]

If they did use Huckabee's PR firm, it may have been because they are linked to him? Trying to save Huck's reputation?

 

Well, the consultant they supposedly used has Huckabee ties but has also been very involved in Arkansas politics generally, I believe. And since JimBob has been as well, it's not really clear that they hooked up with him for some larger, Huckabee-related purpose or not. 

[GEML]

I don't think there's any reason for Huckabee to hitch his wagon to the Duggars. But I think it's interesting that he has never abandoned JOSH. There is a difference, in my mind, between his treatment of JB and his treatment of Josh.

[TheRealT]

I guess I do see it somewhat differently. If it really did happen a long time ago and you were under the impression this was behind you, then I don't blame anyone for trying to protect their livelihood. That's just a very general statement that I would make about anyone.

That doesn't, of course, address the far more complicated ethical issue of doing a show in the first place, or how badly I think they have handled things (I don't think they should have done any interviews) but I don't think they should be necessarily criticized for wanting to save their show because it brings in money. I dare say most of us like our standard of living and having income and would be upset if it were taken away for something in our pasts that was over a decade ago.

I don't have any problem with people trying to protect their hustle (as I would cynically phrase it), being in denial about family issues, being confused about life/family/abuse they've suffered/etc. in general, not wanting to publicly reveal all of their complex feelings about complex issues, etc., etc. etc. Especially very young, very inexperienced people who have very limited resources to deal with... well, life.

 

To me, the "culprits" in all of this are the Duggar parents (and I have some sympathy for them too). I think it was a mistake for them to go forward with the reality show in the wake of all of this and I fault them for (seemingly) prioritizing keeping the show/money over doing what's best for their family now that all of this has come to light. I also think that they are horrible parents, in this situation and in many/most others, but, whatevs. I understand why they are "protecting their hustle" over protecting their children (on an intellectual level), but... to me, that makes them horrible people/parents.

[cereality]

Just saw the Jill and Jessa interview -- as I've been traveling and away from TV for a while. That was so totally scripted. Though you'd think they'd script it to be consistent with the parents. At one point they said that all the victims went through professional counseling and so did Josh. Uh -- really -- bc their parents said it wasn't a certified counselor and was some religious/Christian counseling.

 

And I totally didn't believe Jessa in the end when she said -- I sat down with my siblings and said, the world can say what they want but we have harmony in our family, we're not feuding, and we love each other like crazy. Something tells me the older siblings are feuding with Josh -- esp Jessa and maybe Ben. I feel like Jessa put up with the family BS for yrs even though she didn't believe; she rode it out until a boy looked at her and then hitched her cart to his wagon and was done. Except she and her beau have no real means of support, so I suspect she either says or gives her siblings and father the strong impression of -- it's bc of my courtship and marriage that we're getting extra seasons out of the show about our weirdo family, so you all better not eff this up for me and Ben. And now that the show is over and all she can hope for is a spin off AND Josh is back in Arkansas -- I wouldn't be surprised if there have been some screaming matches with Jessa going off on Josh about how his perverted ways messed everything up and cost her and Ben money. She seems like she doesn't give a f--- about keeping sweet anymore now that she can just leave with Ben and won't be subject to scrubbing the toilets or re-programming camp or whatever for speaking up.

[cereality]

And I love Jessa's statement of "he was a boy in puberty who was too curious about girls." Newsflash -- all 14 yr old boys are curious about girls. 99.9% of them realize they can't cop a feel of their sister -- neither teen sister w breast nor a 5 yr old baby sister. They find ways around this; some try to have girlfriends and mess around with them. However -- many don't/can't get a girl to agree to this -- so they may cop a feel of some girl at a dance or just stare at women from a distance or turn to magazines or whatever. The vast vast majority understand that sisters are off limits and they could not even view a sister sexually.

[bubbls]

And wine. Lots of wine.

Probably more than the flowers and chocolate lol.

[becca3891]

I thought that at first--that this would expose the connection between Gothard and the Duggars, but I don't think it has done so. People posting here know about it, but the people I know who are being exposed to the Duggars for the first time don't get it and tend to think that the Duggars are just conservative Christians; they are pretty sure they aren't conservative Catholic Christians, but many seem to think because  it is a large conservative family the Duggars are Mormon.  But most seem to think they are normal Southern Baptists.  I think the clothing makes people think Mormon or some type of Pentecostal. But while most found Ma and Pa creeepy, they just don't know anything about Gothard so they don't make the connection.  I wish the connection had been made clear.

I so wished this too. I wish Megyn Kelly had brought up his sexual abuse teachings, but of course since she was playing softball, she did not. She may well not even know who Gothard is. Most of the Duggars's fans dont, sadly.

[NEGirl]

I think Megyn Kelly know EXACTLY who Gothard is. She is not stupid, she just chose to ignore it and not discuss it after the interview. Yesterday she was going on and on why the liberal media hate Christians. She has her agenda and has decided to side with the Smuggars.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Ben and Derick had to have been beyond "annoyed" when they first found out what Josh had done.   

[bigskygirl]

Folks, you've all been exemplary and understanding about the landmines of language with this issue. We'd also like to add rape and incest to that. Please be very, very careful when you use those term as they mean something specific. It would be best to use molest. It describes perfectly what we (so far) know has occurred. Thank you.

[GEML]

I just don't think Gothard has any traction. It comes up over and over and over again, but it just doesn't stick. He's too close to traditional fundamentalist beliefs to call out fully, and the really weird stuff just gets lost. Yes, it's true that most people don't "know" but it's hardly been a secret.

[truthtalk2014]

And wine. Lots of wine. 

And a bubble bath in a tightly locked bathroom.  ;)