The bizarre saga of Josh Duggar took another strange turn this week.

After months of delays, Josh’s lawyers filed an appeal for a second trial.

And the details of their appeal came as a shock, even to those who have been following this case closely from the very beginning.

Josh now claims that he was framed by Caleb Williams, a longtime family friend who at one point was romantically linked to Josh’s eldest sister, Jana.

Caleb is also a convicted sex offender, and Josh’s lawyers say they wanted to call him to the stand during the first trial but were prevented by the judge from doing so.

In their filing, Josh’s lawyers describe Caleb as a “co-worker” of Josh’s who had regular access to the computer on which child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) were found.

On Wednesday, Caleb took to Twitter to respond to the allegations that he’s responsible for Josh’s imprisonment.

“It’s hard to come to grips with losing people you thought were your friends. Laughed together, shared life experiences, and cried together. I am not angry. The hurt runs deep,” Caleb tweeted.

“I was not, and have never been a ‘co-worker’ of Josh Duggar or any of the Duggars. I was an independent contractor,” he continued.

“I more pity him than anything else, especially his family,” Caleb went on.

“In my opinion, this is a big PR stunt and he wants his freedom, I get it.”

Caleb went on to state that the was not expecting to be named in Josh’s filing:

“I did not know he was still engaging in this behavior,” Williams wrote.

“Moving beyond the past to work for a positive future is my goal.

“I really just hope he gets some help and by the time he gets out and moves on with his life, he becomes a productive citizen,” he continued.

“I’m all about second chances when somebody actually takes steps that are positive in their life to make a difference in the bad decisions they’ve made. Taking responsibility is the first step in that.”

Caleb went on to respond to a few questions from his followers.

“For everyone asking, I am not planning to sue Josh, Anna, or any of the Duggar family for the false and defamatory statements given about me since last year,” he wrote.

“I am an advocate for forgiving even when no one has asked for forgiveness. As a Christian, I want to show everyone I come in contact with, the grace that I have been given by God throughout my life,” Caleb continued.

Caleb concluded by throwing some surprisingly mild shade at Josh:

“Time will tell what happens to Josh, but his actions up to this point since his case started do not suggest a pattern of positive change,” he wrote.

“All I have seen is excuses, and blaming. My heart goes out to every victim involved and his family.”

Caleb was reportedly in Illinois on the days when Josh downloaded the CSAM, but Duggar lawyers say they have enough evidence to justify calling Williams to the stand.

We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.

Caleb Williams Responds to Allegations That He Framed Josh Duggar: He’s a Lying … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip .