Megachurch Pastor and FormerTrump Counselor Admits Guilt to Sexual Abuse of a Minor
The head of among the biggest megachurches in the US, Robert Morris, has pleaded guilty to molesting a young girl in the state of Oklahoma during the 1980s period.
Morris, 64, pleaded guilty on Thursday in Osage county district court on multiple charges of inappropriate acts with a child. He was given a sentence to 10 years in prison, but under an agreement will serve only six months in county jail.
He will be listed as a sex offender and pay a quarter million dollars in restitution.
Context of the Case
The disgraced pastor established Gateway church in the city of Southlake, Texas. He expanded it into one of the top 10 largest megachurches in the US, with over twenty-five thousand attendees weekly.
The victim, 55, the individual who publicly identified herself as the victim of the abuse, was there in court as he pleaded guilty. In a written declaration she stated: “There is no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. We were never in an ‘inappropriate relationship’. I was not a ‘young lady’ but a minor. You committed a crime against me.”
Her sibling Karen Black also read a statement, saying: “You pretended to be holy, speaking from large platforms. As you concealed your true self, we’ve been aware you are simply a predator.”
Morris resigned from the congregation last year after Clemishire made her story known. She had spent years seeking justice for the abuse.
Details of the Incidents
The molestation began in 1982 when the pastor, then 21, was a itinerant preacher. He was a guest of the family in their residence, where he asked the girl into his bedroom.
The molestation persisted for the next four-year period.
A leaked transcript of a phone call showed that in 2005, the pastor tried to bribe Clemishire into silence, telling her to “put a price on it”.
Downfall and Connections
The guilty verdict signals a dramatic downfall for the minister. At his peak, he wrote multiple popular books and his teachings were transmitted globally.
He also served as a religious counselor to the former president. He was part of the White House spiritual advisory committee during the initial Trump administration and was part of a campaign to mobilize religious voters for him in the recent election.
Trump also visited Gateway church in 2020 where he praised Morris and his leadership as “great people with a great reputation”.
