Rick Santorum Says He Is "Sickened" By The Josh Duggar Sex Abuse Allegations

The Republican presidential candidate has spoken out against the 19 Kids and Counting star, who campaigned for him in 2012.

On Thursday morning, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos he was "sickened" by reports that 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar sexually assaulted four of his younger sisters when he was a teenager.

The Duggar family campaigned heavily for Santorum in 2012, even making a video promoting his platform. However, in light of the allegations, the candidate spoke out against the family's eldest child. "I was sickened by it," Santorum told Stephanopoulos. "I pray for those girls in particular. To have gone through that is… just hard to think about."

A week ago, Santorum's political opponent Mike Huckabee posted a statement on his Facebook page defending Duggar. "Janet and I want to affirm our support for the Duggar family. Josh's actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, 'inexcusable,' but that doesn't mean 'unforgivable,'" Huckabee wrote. "He and his family dealt with it and were honest and open about it with the victims and the authorities. No purpose whatsoever is served by those who are now trying to discredit Josh or his family by sensationalizing the story."

In light of the allegations, Duggar resigned as executive director of the Family Research Council Action and TLC pulled 19 Kids and Counting from its schedule. The network has not stated if or when the show will return.

Watch Santorum's full interview here:

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