Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have a long history of lying to protect their troubled eldest son.

But this time, federal investigators are involved, so the troubled couple might find themselves in a precarious legal situation themselves if they continue spewing nonsense in order to obfuscate the investigation into Josh Duggar's child pornography collection.

As you're probably aware, Josh's latest legal difficulties began in November of 2019 when Homeland Security agents raided a car dealership he was managing for his father.

The place was shut down shortly thereafter.

Investigators never revealed the cause of the raid, and the Duggars probably should have just been thankful for that silence.

Instead, Jim Bob and Michelle issued a statement in which they denied that the raid ever even happened.

“We were shocked to see a news report today state that our home was raided by federal law enforcement agencies. This is not true," Jim Bob and Michelle said at the time.

"To the best of our knowledge, it’s also not true that any member of our family is the target of any investigation of any kind," the couple continued.

"Living a life in the public’s eye has taught us that it is best not to reply to every rumor and piece of ‘fake news’ that is circulated online.

"t would be a full-time job if we attempted to do so. However, because of tonight’s media coverage we thought it is important to address this rumor with you. Thank you for the love and support that we can always count on in you our fans and friends.”

Yes, Jim Bob even dusted out the classic "fake news" in his effort to deny the raid took place.

We know now, of course, that Jim Bob not only knew about the investigation, he knew all about the cause of it.

As the owner of the property and a co-owner of the business, Jim Bob would have seen entitled to view any and all warrants.

And you can be sure he did exactly that.

Again, when Josh was arrested on child pornography charges, the rest of the Duggars pretended to be shocked, but they must have had at least a rough idea that the arrest was going to happen.

The only alternative is that when the raid happened, the place was raided, Josh kept the reason for the raid, a secret, and he held on to that secret for over a year.

“They seem to have selective memories. They knew darn well what was going on," YouTuber Katie Joy said of the situation.

“It’s a flat out lie," one commenter wrote on Joy's Instagram page.

Of course, it's anyone's guess what will happen next with Josh.

His case appears to be open-and-shut, but one should never underestimate the power of high-priced lawyers.

There's still a possibility that Josh might walk away from this with no more consequences than he's experienced at any other point in his life.

But if we're lucky, Josh, Jim Bob, and Michelle will all get locked up together!