Large Church Pastor and Ex-Trump Adviser Admits Guilt to Child Sexual Abuse
The founder of among the biggest megachurches in the US, Robert Morris, has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a young girl in Oklahoma during the 1980s.
The pastor, 64, entered a guilty plea on Thursday in the local court on five criminal counts of inappropriate acts with a minor. He was given a sentence to a decade in custody, but as part of a plea deal will only serve six months in local jail.
He will register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 in restitution.
Background of the Case
The former minister established the church in the city of Southlake, the state of Texas. He expanded it into among the ten biggest megachurches in the US, with more than 25,000 attendees weekly.
The victim, 55, the individual who came forward as the survivor of the abuse, was there in court as he admitted his guilt. In a written declaration she told him: “It is impossible to have agreement from a child of twelve. We were never in an ‘inappropriate relationship’. I was not a ‘young lady’ but a minor. You performed a criminal act against me.”
Her sibling Karen Black also read a statement, stating: “You acted as if you were righteous, preaching from large platforms. As you concealed your true self, we’ve been aware you are nothing but a predator.”
Morris resigned from the congregation last year after Clemishire went public. She had devoted many years seeking justice for the abuse.
Details of the Incidents
The molestation started in the year 1982 when the pastor, at age twenty-one, was a itinerant preacher. He was a guest of Clemishire’s family in their home, where he asked the child into his bedroom.
The molestation continued for the following four years.
A leaked transcript of a conversation showed that in 2005, the pastor attempted to pay off the victim into silence, telling her to “name your price”.
Downfall and Associations
The guilty verdict marks a remarkable fall for the minister. At his height, he wrote multiple popular books and his teachings were transmitted globally.
He also became a religious counselor to Donald Trump. He joined the presidential advisory group during the initial Trump administration and was involved in an effort to organize evangelical voters for him in the recent election.
The former president also attended Gateway church in 2020 where he praised the pastor and his senior team as “great people with a great reputation”.
