GOP Rallies Around Arkansas Lawmaker Who Gave Away Adopted Daughters [View all]

[DonViejo]

Suzi Parker

Arkansas Republicans are defending a state legislator who had his adopted daughter exorcised before ‘rehoming’ her and her sister with a man who later molested one of them.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—From coffee shops in rural Arkansas to the state capitol, Arkansans cannot stop talking about Republican state Rep. Justin Harris.

The saga of Harris began with him and his wife adopting two girls in the state’s care. Then they subsequently “rehomed,” or gave them, to another family—the Francises—because the girls had severe behavioral issues. Both girls had previously been sexually abused in their birth family. Ultimately, one of the girls was sexually molested by Eric Cameron Francis, who had previously worked for Harris at the preschool he owned called Growing God’s Kingdom, Inc.

Francis is now in prison for the crime.

Last week, The Arkansas Times broke the story, which continues to unravel. This week it came to light that Harris, who was first elected to office in 2010, also believed, according to sources interviewed by the newspaper, that one of the girls was possessed by demons and capable of communicating telepathically with her sister. As a result, he had a “specialist” perform an exorcism to rid the girl of any evil spirits.

Needless to say, the unfolding drama has distracted attention from the current legislative session, the first for GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the first time since Reconstruction that Republicans have controlled the governor’s office and the statehouse simultaneously. Some Democrats are calling for the resignation of Harris, who is vice chairman of the House Committee on Children, Aging, and Youth, which deals with such adoption issues.

But the legislator’s party remains solidly behind him.

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/12/gop-rallies-around-arkansas-lawmaker-who-gave-away-adopted-daughters.html