JILL Duggar’s husband Derick Dillard slammed her dad Jim Bob as “hypocritical” as the family patriarch runs for the Arkansas State Senate District 7 seat.
The 32-year-old blasted Jim Bob for continuing his political run after his son Josh was convicted at his child pornography trial earlier this month.
Last week, Josh was found guilty of both possessing and receiving child pornography, and he was ordered straight into custody.
Derick told TMZ that Jim Bob will likely have a much tougher time winning a senate seat after his family’s latest scandal.
According to Jill’s husband, not only will having Josh as his son be a downfall in the race but also the fact that the 56-year-old was there at the courthouse supporting him during the trial.
As Jim Bob reportedly wanted to take a hard stance against sex offenders in the past, Derick thinks it would now make JB look “hypocritical” because he likely doesn’t feel the same way, now that his son has been convicted.
Previously, he proposed that a “rapist should be executed,” stating that it is a “heinous crime and as such should be treated as a capital crime.”
While not the same crime his son was convicted of, Derick still reportedly feels Jim Bob’s past stances won’t help in his current run as the public is well-aware of the current happenings with his family.
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Derick reportedly believes Jim Bob will appear “less than transparent or credible” because he’s made only vague statements about Josh after his arrest and trial.
Derick, who has been critical of Jim Bob and many in the Duggar family in the past, had an “awkward” run-in with the patriarch at Josh’s trial.
According to The Sun reporter inside the trial, Derick had been sitting in the front row of the courtroom, right next to Josh’s wife Anna.
When Jim Bob approached Anna during a break, he passed Derick, and offered only a simple “Hello.”
Derick said a faint “Hi” back.
As Jim Bob hugged his daughter-in-law and stayed in the first row, Derick moved to the back, to sit with Jason, Joy-Anna, her husband Austin Forsyth, Jana and other loved ones.
Derick did not return to the front row when the break ended even though there was seating available.
Our reporter noted the environment around the scattered family was “awkward and cold.”
Derick previously seemed to ostracize himself from the family when he liked a tweet claiming that Jim Bob “financially and emotionally” abuses his children.
Derick and Jill quit Counting On in 2017, two years after it emerged that Josh molested five underage girls, including Jill.
They have since criticized Jim Bob and his wife, Michelle, and spoken out against their conservative beliefs.
A few weeks before Josh’s trial, Jim Bob insisted he refused to “shrink away” from politics despite his “family problems.”
The father of 19 revealed he wouldn’t back down or stay silent in his fight for the seat and would be pushing through any “crises” his family’s dealing with.
In a new blog post just before the trial, Jim Bob slammed “cancel culture” after his son Josh‘s arrest and said he refused to let it stop him.
He wrote: “Like so many other families, we too have faced crises, difficulties, and heartbreak.”
“…They say because our family has faced problems we should shrink away—this is why they are often so relentlessly unkind, but we cannot sit on the sidelines during a time when one of America’s most important battles is taking place.
“We are devoted to doing our part and making a difference for our children and grandchildren.”
Jim Bob and wife Michelle appeared on a billboard in their home state of Arkansas to promote his senatorial run.
The family patriarch was slammed for asking for donations amid his run for state senate.
Though his show Counting On has been canceled, the 56-year-old devoutly religious reality star is reportedly worth $3.5 million, so the request for money had left critics puzzled.
Fans blasted the TV star on Reddit, accusing the aspiring politician of having no policies and “just grifting for donations.”
A campaign flyer for Jim Bob was ridiculed online for claims that the Counting On star is “pro-family”– amid his son’s scandal.
Jim Bob’s campaign flyer promoted the 56-year-old Republican’s values, highlighting the fact that he is: “Pro-Faith, Pro-Family and Pro-Freedom.”
But some Reddit users found those claims hard to swallow, especially in light of his family’s well-documented current struggles.
While sharing a picture of the campaign note, the original poster wrote: “I don’t know whether to throw up or not.”
In the comments section, others backed him up, with arguments like: “Pro-family as long as you’re not his daughter!” and “Pro-freedom as long as you’re not a woman.”
Another recommended returning the flyer to its sender: “Mail it back to the TTH or his campaign headquarters with a note stating you are pro-prosecuting pedophiles and anti-protecting child molesters.”
