Rep. Joe Walsh gets pro-family award despite owing $117k in child support

The Family Research Council Action Committee has lauded freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) for his "unwavering support of the family," despite the fact that Walsh's ex-wife claims he owes her more than $100,000 in child support payments.

The FRCA named Walsh a "True Blue" member of Congress, saying that his commitment to anti-abortion causes and his for voting record in support of, "faith, family and freedom," were worthy of admiration.

“Cong. Walsh and other ‘True Blue Members’ have voted to repeal Obamacare, de-fund Planned Parenthood, end government funding for abortion within the health care law, uphold the Defense of Marriage Act, and continue support for school choice," said FRCA President Tony Perkins, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Walsh, a Tea Party favorite in Congress, has been caught in a court battle for months after his wife sued him for some $117,000 in missed child support payments. Walsh has disputed that figure, and claimed that his meager savings aren't enough to cover the cost of child suport payments.

Yet Walsh managed to loan his congressional campaign at least $35,000 last year, raising doubts about the validity of his claims. As a result, the nonpartisan Citizens for Ethics in Washington included Walsh on their list of the most corrupt members of Congress list this year. 

That the FRC chose to applaud Walsh is not entirely surprising given the group's hyper-specific focus on promoting conservative Christian values in American politics, most notably its fiercely anti-gay positions. The Southern Poverty Law Center even designated the organization as a hate group because of its harsh anti-gay rhetoric.