Christian public relations expert Hunter Frederick, who was reportedly sought by the Duggar family from "19 Kids and Counting" to handle the sexual abuse accusations against Josh, said the apology offered by the family in the wake of the scandal is not enough, adding that they need to pay their debt to society somehow.
"I have no reason to think their apology wasn't sincere, but an apology is one small thing that needs to happen in this very large problem," Frederick told The Christian Post. "The majority of people that are against the Duggars want some kind of legal punishment, which can't happen because of our country's statute of limitations law."
He called the whole situation "very sticky" from a crisis management standpoint. One of the solutions he sees is for Josh to pay his debt back to society in some form.
When he was only 14 years old, Josh allegedly molested five young girls, an act which he later confessed to his parents Jim Bob and Michelle. As a result, his parents sent him to the Institute in Basic Life Principles, an organization dedicated to giving individuals clear training on Scripture by providing "seminars, educational programs, printed literature, and the operation of centers to facilitate training," according to its website.
Even though Josh and his family are currently being lambasted by the public and the media, Frederick said this is part and parcel of being a celebrity.
"A lot of the Duggars' supporters are saying he's paying his debt to society back by getting ripped apart in the press, which is ignorant. I'm getting ripped apart in the press and I have nothing to do with this," he said. "You sign up for a life in the public eye. This is 'the work' by being a target for issues like this."
Frederick has turned down the Duggars' request to help them, and he even announced this on his Twitter account (@hunterfrederick). "I don't represent the #DuggarFamily just FYI everyone please calm down!" he tweeted.
