Duggars on Megyn Kelly, Friday Night Edition

[DuggaredOut]

Doesn't it appear that Jill would be the victim in the police report that said she woke up and found Josh taking the blanket off of her? If so, SHE WAS AWARE!!!

We don't know for sure if that was Jill. Personally, I think it was a different girl, but it doesn't really matter. Three Duggar girls remembered incidents of molestation. One of the older girls said she wasn't molested at all, to her knowledge. By default, one of the girls who remembers was sitting in front of that camera tonight.

[umbrellaella]

As others have mentioned, Megyn has brought up on multiple occasions the BS that this was report was illegally released. I was wondering if anyone could answer a question I have / clarify something (sorry if this has been brought up and answered- there's now just SO much on FJ to keep up with it's been nearly impossible for me!).

- So, the original police reports were legally obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. This has been confirmed and there is a paper trail.

- City Attorney's confirmed this as well, and stated they took careful detail to protect the victim's details under the law by redacting all identifying information, such as names and pronouns.

- However, from the side reading I've done, Arkansas has Victim's Rights Laws. Any information that could either directly or indirectly identify victims of sex crimes cannot be released.

- While the victim's names and pronouns were blacked out, what *was* left untouched in the released edited report was the ages of the victims, as well as reference to them as " [child] of James Robert and Michelle Duggar."

- So based on that we know that A) The victim was a sibling and B) Which sibling it was (by knowing their age at the time of report).

So while the report WAS obtained legally under FOIA, how is it that leaving that bit of identifying information about parents and ages *does not* go against the Victim Rights laws that prevent any information that could directly or indirectly lead to victim's ID? This is the part I'm confused about.

Any insight into this? Am I missing something or a stipulation of some sort?

[TaterThotHotDish]

Jessa said 2/3rds of families are affected by sexual abuse...the numbers made me remember that on Don Lemon's show he showed a stat of 2.3% of people. Jessa and her handlers are dumb as fuck.

[TenderloinTrash]

I haven't actually watched an episode of 19KAC in a long time- I haven't watched any of the courting episodes of Jill or Jessa, I haven't watched the weddings or Izzy being born. Anyway, what I want to get at is I am just amazed at how child like they both still seem. It's hard to take the interview seriously because it's like Megyn is interviewing children and not adults. I don't think they have the mental maturity to analyze what really happened to them and they certainly don't know how to articulate how they feel about it. I almost couldn't listen to the interview just because of the bad grammar.

I'm in the same boat. I haven't watched in a couple years but it's wild to me just how different they are from other people their age. I watched this and I couldn't believe how ignorant and uneducated they appeared. Like even more ignorant than they appeared to be on the show.

[JenniferJuniper]

As others have mentioned, Megyn has brought up on multiple occasions the BS that this was report was illegally released. I was wondering if anyone could answer a question I have / clarify something (sorry if this has been brought up and answered- there's now just SO much on FJ to keep up with it's been nearly impossible for me!).

- So, the original police reports were legally obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. This has been confirmed and there is a paper trail.

- City Attorney's confirmed this as well, and stated they took careful detail to protect the victim's details under the law by redacting all identifying information, such as names and pronouns.

- However, from the side reading I've done, Arkansas has Victim's Rights Laws. Any information that could either directly or indirectly identify victims of sex crimes cannot be released.

- While the victim's names and pronouns were blacked out, what *was* left untouched in the released edited report was the ages of the victims, as well as reference to them as " [child] of James Robert and Michelle Duggar."

- So based on that we know that A) The victim was a sibling and B) Which sibling it was (by knowing their age at the time of report).

So while the report WAS obtained legally under FOIA, how is it that leaving that bit of identifying information about parents and ages *does not* go against the Victim Rights laws that prevent any information that could directly or indirectly lead to victim's ID? This is the part I'm confused about.

Any insight into this? Am I missing something or a stipulation of some sort?

Josh was accused of no crime. The statute of limitations had expired by the time a police report was filed.

Josh was not arrested. Josh was not prosecuted. Under the law, therefore, the report was accessible via FOIA once he became an adult.

The daughters need to address their outrage with their parents for covering the repeated molestations up.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

I am not convinced that their licensed therapy was anything other than Journey to the Hearts. You have to pay for it and it probably is licensed in some way.

[TrixieDanger]

There are three primary reasons why this came out in public:

1) The Duggars did not handle the situation properly. Had they swiftly addressed the matter Josh would have been treated legally and psychologically , the 5 year old would not have been molested, and the records would have been sealed. But they covered it all up, leaving the police report accessible once Josh turned 18.

2) The Duggars have been slamming the LGTB community in horrible ways for years now. Michelle's robocalls accusing trans women of really just being males who want to prey on little girls. Everything Josh has uttered since joining the FRC hate group.

3) The Duggars have pimped their entire family out for a friggin' TV show for over 11 years now, despite knowing what they'd covered up.

Numbers 2 and 3 will never apply to regular people. Nor is number 1 ever likely to apply to regular people because it was numbers 2 and 3 that lead to the Freedom of Information request in the first place.

So Ms. Faux, her Faux legal expert, and her Faux psychiatrist (whose words were heavily edited, btw) are all completely full of shit.

I really think what I'm trying to say is being taken out of context. I didn't mean to offend or be "faux." My opinion and personal observation isn't "faux," it's just my observation, I'm not trying to sound like an expert because I'm not. I do know the nature of the media having years of experience in it and studying it and feel very comfortable spreaking to that though, so that's where my point of view was coming from. It was meant to be a separate thought which I didn't make clear, but either way this ordeal brought up that issue and people are talking about it, that's all I meant.

[Phoenix]

First thing the Duggars should do after these two disastrous interviews is fire their PR coach. Jill and Jessa speaking tonight absolutely killed any chance of a TLC spin off featuring them and their young families. Viewers are not going to want to watch baby Izzy locked down in his room at night because his mother believes he may easily grow up to molest his future sisters.

Frankly I think the entire Duggar mess needs to get off TV. Only when the media attention and exposure dies off will there be any hope for any Duggar child, legally an adult or a minor to think about how they were raised and if they want to continue in the cult or not. Nobody will escape Duggarville until they are off the air.

ETA: This was the worst, minimizing of sexual abuse interview I can think of in recent history. It sent a horrific message to any molestation survivors about what they endured not being important and how letting it be known will make things even worse. :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

[DuggaredOut]

I think JB and M pissed off the wrong person/people and viola...or in Duggarville, walla!

Agreed, definitely. But my point was that no one would've been able to get the media to print that police report to begin with if the Duggars weren't public figures. If you're pissed at your neighbor, Joe Average, and you go to the media with a story about how he molested his younger sisters when he was 14, they're not going to print that because no one knows him, so no one cares what happened in his family when he was a kid. Kelly was trying to shame the media for releasing the police report on the premise that it might silence other abuse victims. But there's virtually no chance of the media printing a minor's unsealed record unless that minor becomes "somebody," which is just so unlikely for the vast majority of people.

[JenniferJuniper]

I really think what I'm trying to say is being taken out of context. I didn't mean to offend or be "faux." My opinion and personal observation isn't "faux," it's just my observation, I'm not trying to sound like an expert because I'm not. I do know the nature of the media having years of experience in it and studying it and feel very comfortable spreaking to that though, so that's where my point of view was coming from. It was meant to be a separate thought which I didn't make clear, but either way this ordeal brought up that issue and people are talking about it, that's all I meant.

"Faux" means Fox. It's how sane people refer to Fox News. It's not about you.

[SnazzyNazzy]

I will go ahead and address, the small elephant in the room.

Does no one else find it odd, that only the married daughters, participated in this? We all know that there were 5 daughters at the time, four of which it happened to. Granted one daughter is still a minor, so she is exempt. Why are Jana and Jingers thoughts/feelings/etc, not as important, as Jessa and Jill's?

Is it because their "headship" was transferred so Ben and Derick had the final say, OR do you think it's because more people tuned in to their engagement/wedding episodes, that JB and Michelle thought they had more sway with the public? Why only interview the two that were married. and disregard the other three? Jana, Jinger, and JoyAnna, were also affected by this, so why not give them the chance to say their piece?

[Toothfairy]

I was about to go to bed but I had one more thought. Jill says she is going to use the same safeguards in her family to protect the boys from molesting the girls. What happens if she only has two children, a boy and a girl? (I know she wants more but life doesn't always work out the way we think it will.) Will they be able to play together? Will they have to be separated once they reach a certain age? It just strikes me as bizarre to make plans for your future children that involves treating them as potential molesters before you have even met them.

Jill lacks any real skills. Safeguard or not molestation can still happen. And what happens if god forbid one of her children is molested by someone she knows and trust. A friend a family member a pastor. Child molesters aren't just siblings. Anyone can be one.

And Megan telling people to be aware and come out call the abuse hot line. Too bad these girls couldn't so that

[TrixieDanger]

"Faux" means Fox. It's how sane people refer to Fox News. It's not about you.

Sorry!!! I TOTALLY misunderstood, I'm new at this so don't know all the terms yet...

[candygirl200413]

Throughout this, and I'm not sure if this was mentioned, but did the girls share beds at this point too?

But also as a sex abuse survivor I was beyond disgusted about their interview. I really shouldn't have watched the whole thing (especially sober, but I was babysitting so that's an obvious no no) but like it gets me nervous for any more people that might experience and how it will be taken in society. It just added more to the existence rape culture that we have.

Also it beyond pissed me off with the whole we went to an "accredited" counseling. :angry-banghead: Because that would have gotten reported and their records would have been closed! One more question, the DHS interview they keep talking about, was that in reference to the first police record released or something completely different?

[JesSky03]

We don't know for sure if that was Jill. Personally, I think it was a different girl, but it doesn't really matter. Three Duggar girls remembered incidents of molestation. One of the older girls said she wasn't molested at all, to her knowledge. By default, one of the girls who remembers was sitting in front of that camera tonight.

As someone who has been potentially molested in my sleep ( I posted my story on a previous thread- short version: when I was 14 a friend's dad gave us vitamins which were actually Ambien and was later arrested for having cameras hidden throughout his house and for having child porn on his computer), this whole "well they weren't aware" stance is just sickening. Not knowing can be just as bad or worse than being aware of the situation. Who knows if Josh is telling the truth- how do we know all he did was just touch them for a few seconds and nothing more. I was not very affected by what had happened to me but with this scandal coming to light it's bringing up some thoughts that I had never stopped to think about before. What did he do to me while I was sleeping? Was it just touching or did he put his lips on me? Or worse, was he inside of me in any way, shape, or form? It's bringing me to tears just thinking about it and realizing just how much of it I had suppressed- and I had really supportive parents. I truly, truly hope these girls can get some REAL help and move the fuck away from JimBoob and Mullet.

[Cheetah]

I will go ahead and address, the small elephant in the room.

Does no one else find it odd, that only the married daughters, participated in this? We all know that there were 5 daughters at the time, four of which it happened to. Granted one daughter is still a minor, so she is exempt. Why are Jana and Jingers thoughts/feelings/etc, not as important, as Jessa and Jill's?

Is it because their "headship" was transferred so Ben and Derick had the final say, OR do you think it's because more people tuned in to their engagement/wedding episodes, that JB and Michelle thought they had more sway with the public? Why only interview the two that were married. and disregard the other three? Jana, Jinger, and JoyAnna, were also affected by this, so why not give them the chance to say their piece?

Only slight sarcasm here... it's because they are married and therefore allowed to talk about sexual matters. The virginal ladies must be kept in the dark until they really need to know.

[instantkarma]

Jill lacks any real skills. Safeguard or not molestation can still happen. And what happens if god forbid one of her children is molested by someone she knows and trust. A friend a family member a pastor. Child molesters aren't just siblings. Anyone can be one.

And Megan telling people to be aware and come out call the abuse hot line. Too bad these girls couldn't so that

These girls wouldn't have done that because they weren't abused, or molested, they were inappropriately touched. Insert sarcasm here. Grrrr. :angry-banghead:

[JenniferJuniper]

I will go ahead and address, the small elephant in the room.

Does no one else find it odd, that only the married daughters, participated in this? We all know that there were 5 daughters at the time, four of which it happened to. Granted one daughter is still a minor, so she is exempt. Why are Jana and Jingers thoughts/feelings/etc, not as important, as Jessa and Jill's?

Is it because their "headship" was transferred so Ben and Derick had the final say, OR do you think it's because more people tuned in to their engagement/wedding episodes, that JB and Michelle thought they had more sway with the public? Why only interview the two that were married. and disregard the other three? Jana, Jinger, and JoyAnna, were also affected by this, so why not give them the chance to say their piece?

Jana has not been identified as a victim. Jim Bob would never put Jinger or Joy out there to discuss this as they are still waiting on fundie suitors who might reject them as damaged goods.

Whether Jill and Jessa's headships really have anything to say about what Jim Bob's daughters can and cannot do remains to be seen. My guess is that Jim Bob is still calling the shots, despite the basic tenets of their cult.

[zebra #13]

And why on earth would the Duggars TELL the girls (and the rest of the family) what Josh had done if they were totally unaware of it? They've already shown they can keep secrets that make them look bad. If the girls really didn't know what was going on, I can't see a reality in which Boob and J'Chelle would tell them.

Deal is, it's *really* hard to take your kids down to the police station to answer questions about their brother's behavior *without* telling them why. . . . After Oprah told on 'em, they really had no choice, and definitely needed to get their ducks in a row.

[Cheetah]

Hopelessly behind on threads again, although I did catch up on this particular one. I watched about half of the Jessa/Jinger interview tonight; I didn't watch anything from the last 2 nights and have read the recap and some but not all of the discussion.

Anyway... one thing that keeps coming to my mind is that the ultimate message from JB is that girls don't matter. And it makes me think of the Taliban. And I want to figure out a way to put out a counter message... a #girlsmatter #AmericanTaliban tag or something to keep calling this crap out and label it for what it is.

[Phoenix]

I will go ahead and address, the small elephant in the room.

Does no one else find it odd, that only the married daughters, participated in this? We all know that there were 5 daughters at the time, four of which it happened to. Granted one daughter is still a minor, so she is exempt. Why are Jana and Jingers thoughts/feelings/etc, not as important, as Jessa and Jill's?

Is it because their "headship" was transferred so Ben and Derick had the final say, OR do you think it's because more people tuned in to their engagement/wedding episodes, that JB and Michelle thought they had more sway with the public? Why only interview the two that were married. and disregard the other three? Jana, Jinger, and JoyAnna, were also affected by this, so why not give them the chance to say their piece?

I think it was because Jill and Jessa pulled in the highest ratings the last two seasons. Another reason could be Jinger, Janna and JoyAnna are unmarried and having two of them also say, hey we were victims as well would destroy their chances of landing an "approved" by Jim Bob, fundie husband. The premise of privacy for those three was permanently blown out of the water by Jessa and Jill in this interview. How can they blame the media for releasing their story while obliterating any doubt two of their unmarried sisters (of marriageable age) were also victims? Yes, I know it was easy to figure out from the police report, but tonight's interview only confirmed it to a wider audience who have not read the report.

As things stand, I find it interesting that Jim Bob found "outsider" husbands for Jill and Jessa who were willing to convert to the Gothard cult rather than marry them off to other high profile families within their circles.

[whateverwhoever]

As someone who has been potentially molested in my sleep ( I posted my story on a previous thread- short version: when I was 14 a friend's dad gave us vitamins which were actually Ambien and was later arrested for having cameras hidden throughout his house and for having child porn on his computer), this whole "well they weren't aware" stance is just sickening. Not knowing can be just as bad or worse than being aware of the situation. Who knows if Josh is telling the truth- how do we know all he did was just touch them for a few seconds and nothing more. I was not very affected by what had happened to me but with this scandal coming to light it's bringing up some thoughts that I had never stopped to think about before. What did he do to me while I was sleeping? Was it just touching or did he put his lips on me? Or worse, was he inside of me in any way, shape, or form? It's bringing me to tears just thinking about it and realizing just how much of it I had suppressed- and I had really supportive parents. I truly, truly hope these girls can get some REAL help and move the fuck away from JimBoob and Mullet.

I'm sorry this is bringing stirring things up for you.

That is the one thing that really rung true to me from their interview, the possibility that they are dealing with a lot of pain having this brought up for them again.

I was raped 8 years ago, and at the time, I would have said it didn't affect me much. I did say that. It was an ex boyfriend, I was sleeping, and he just...yah I woke up to it. But it wasn't until recently, when I went back to the university I started around the same time as the assault, that I really realized how much it affected me. Being there stirred up memories which led to all kinds of emotional flashbacks...and I realized maybe it wasn't a total coincidence that I developed crippling anxiety shortly after and destroyed my grades.

So I think it would be nice if someone in the media would talk about that. How even if kids or adults who are sexually abused or assaulted seem fine at the time, and say it doesn't affect them much, it is possible they are too close to see it, or maybe their coping mechanisms are hiding it from view.

I don't think they were all fine or unaffected. The girl who talked about the laundry machine incident seemed especially upset by it during her interview in her interview. But I do think this is likely bringing back a lot of feelings for them, and I hope they have access to real therapy now....but I'd be surprised if they did.

[DuggaredOut]

As someone who has been potentially molested in my sleep ( I posted my story on a previous thread- short version: when I was 14 a friend's dad gave us vitamins which were actually Ambien and was later arrested for having cameras hidden throughout his house and for having child porn on his computer), this whole "well they weren't aware" stance is just sickening. Not knowing can be just as bad or worse than being aware of the situation. Who knows if Josh is telling the truth- how do we know all he did was just touch them for a few seconds and nothing more. I was not very affected by what had happened to me but with this scandal coming to light it's bringing up some thoughts that I had never stopped to think about before. What did he do to me while I was sleeping? Was it just touching or did he put his lips on me? Or worse, was he inside of me in any way, shape, or form? It's bringing me to tears just thinking about it and realizing just how much of it I had suppressed- and I had really supportive parents. I truly, truly hope these girls can get some REAL help and move the fuck away from JimBoob and Mullet.

I'm so sorry that happened to you. :( Of course you're right, and that's actually a point I brought up on the Boob & Mullet interview thread. It's just as traumatic, if not more so, to not remember what was done to you because you don't know the extent of it. It's so, so hard to process and heal from something when you don't even know what that something was , which is why REAL counselors (the kind the Duggars probably never had) try to help survivors access those memories and work through them whenever possible. It absolutely does NOT make it better somehow when the person victimized is unconscious.

[TrixieDanger]

Agreed, definitely. But my point was that no one would've been able to get the media to print that police report to begin with if the Duggars weren't public figures. If you're pissed at your neighbor, Joe Average, and you go to the media with a story about how he molested his younger sisters when he was 14, they're not going to print that because no one knows him, so no one cares what happened in his family when he was a kid. Kelly was trying to shame the media for releasing the police report on the premise that it might silence other abuse victims. But there's virtually no chance of the media printing a minor's unsealed record unless that minor becomes "somebody," which is just so unlikely for the vast majority of people.

You're right for sure in most cases. Sometimes the news will pick up local stories like that though, or in that realm being a sexual abuse case in general and not one exactly like the Duggars, and if it's one they feel is worth reporting, they will. So I guess I feel like it's still possible that some average joes story could come out like that for that reason.

[Toothfairy]

It was sad how Jessa said Josh was a teenage bot with raging hormones. Shows the damage this cult has done to her