Megachurch Minister and FormerTrump Adviser Admits Guilt to Sexual Abuse of a Minor
The founder of one of the largest megachurches in the US, Robert Morris, has pleaded guilty to molesting a 12-year-old girl in the state of Oklahoma during the 1980s.
The pastor, sixty-four, entered a guilty plea on that day in the local court on multiple charges of inappropriate acts with a child. He was sentenced to 10 years in custody, but as part of a plea deal will serve only six months in local jail.
He will be listed as a registered offender and pay $250,000 in compensation.
Background of the Case
The former minister founded the church in the city of Southlake, the state of Texas. He grew it into one of the top 10 largest large churches in the United States, with more than 25,000 visitors each week.
Cindy Clemishire, fifty-five, the woman who came forward as the survivor of Morris’s sexual abuse, was there in court as he pleaded guilty. In a prepared statement she stated: “It is impossible to have agreement from a 12-year-old child. We were never in an ‘inappropriate relationship’. I was not a ‘young lady’ but a child. 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 big pulpits. As you concealed your true self, we’ve been aware you are simply a predator.”
Morris stepped down from the congregation last year after the victim went public. She had devoted many years trying to hold her abuser accountable.
Details of the Abuse
The abuse began in the year 1982 when the pastor, at age twenty-one, was a itinerant preacher. He stayed with the family in their home, where he invited the child into his bedroom.
The abuse persisted for the next four-year period.
A revealed recording of a phone call showed that in 2005, Morris tried to bribe Clemishire into not speaking out, telling her to “name your price”.
Fall from Grace and Connections
The guilty verdict marks a remarkable fall for the minister. At his height, he authored several bestselling books and his sermons were broadcast around the world.
He also served as a religious counselor to the former president. He joined the White House spiritual advisory committee during the first Trump presidency and was part of a campaign to organize religious voters for him in the recent election.
Trump also visited the church in 2020 where he praised the pastor and his leadership as “great people with a stellar reputation”.
