Large Church Pastor and FormerTrump Adviser Admits Guilt to Child Sexual Abuse

The founder of among the biggest large congregations in the United States, Robert Morris, has admitted guilt to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the state of Oklahoma during the 1980s period.

The pastor, 64, entered a guilty plea on that day in the local court on multiple charges of lewd or indecent acts with a minor. He was sentenced to 10 years in custody, 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 compensation.

Background of the Legal Matter

The former minister established Gateway church in the city of Southlake, the state of Texas. He grew it into one of the top 10 largest large churches in the US, with more than 25,000 visitors each week.

The victim, fifty-five, the woman who came forward as the victim of Morris’s sexual abuse, was there in court as he pleaded guilty. In a written declaration she told him: “There is no such thing as consent from a child of twelve. We were not involved in any improper relationship. I was not a ‘young lady’ but a minor. You committed a crime against me.”

Her sister a family member also read a statement, stating: “You acted as if you were righteous, speaking from large platforms. As you concealed your true self, we’ve been aware you are simply a predator.”

Morris stepped down from the church last year after Clemishire went public. She had spent years trying to hold her abuser accountable.

Specifics of the Abuse

The abuse started in the year 1982 when the pastor, at age twenty-one, was a itinerant preacher. He was a guest of the family in their home, where he asked the child into his room.

The abuse persisted for the next four-year period.

A leaked transcript of a conversation showed that in 2005, the pastor attempted to pay off Clemishire into not speaking out, saying to her to “put a price on it”.

Fall from Grace and Connections

Morris’s conviction marks a remarkable fall for the pastor. At his height, he wrote multiple popular books and his sermons were transmitted around the world.

He also served as a religious counselor to the former president. He was part of the White House spiritual advisory committee during the first Trump presidency and was involved in an effort to mobilize evangelical voters for him in last year’s presidential campaign.

The former president also attended the church in 2020 where he praised the pastor and his senior team as “great people with a great reputation”.