Large Church Minister and FormerTrump Counselor Admits Guilt to Sexual Abuse of a Minor

The founder of among the biggest megachurches in the US, Robert Morris, has admitted guilt to sexually abusing a young girl in Oklahoma during the 1980s.

The pastor, sixty-four, pleaded guilty on that day 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 serve only half a year in county jail.

He will be listed as a registered offender and pay $250,000 in compensation.

Background of the Legal Matter

The former minister founded the church in the city of Southlake, Texas. He grew it into one of the top 10 largest megachurches in the US, with more than 25,000 visitors weekly.

Cindy Clemishire, 55, the woman who came forward as the victim of Morris’s sexual abuse, was present in the courtroom as he pleaded guilty. In a prepared statement she stated: “It is impossible to have agreement from a 12-year-old child. We were not involved in any improper relationship. I was not a young woman but a child. You performed a criminal act against me.”

Her sister a family member also made a declaration, saying: “You pretended to be holy, speaking from large platforms. As you hid behind your facade, we’ve been aware you are simply a predator.”

The pastor resigned from the congregation last year after the victim made her story known. She had devoted many years trying to hold her abuser accountable.

Details of the Abuse

The abuse started in the year 1982 when Morris, then 21, was a travelling evangelist. He stayed with Clemishire’s 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 attempted to pay off Clemishire into silence, saying to her to “put a price on it”.

Downfall and Connections

Morris’s conviction signals a dramatic downfall for the pastor. At his peak, he authored multiple popular books and his sermons were transmitted around the world.

He also became a religious counselor to Donald Trump. He was part of the White House spiritual advisory committee during the first Trump presidency and was part of a campaign to mobilize evangelical voters for him in last year’s presidential campaign.

Trump also visited the church in 2020 where he praised the pastor and his leadership as “wonderful individuals with a stellar reputation”.