Large Church Pastor and FormerTrump Adviser Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Abuse
The head of one of the largest large congregations in the US, the pastor, has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in Oklahoma during the 1980s period.
Morris, sixty-four, entered a guilty plea on that day in the local court on five criminal counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. He was given a sentence to 10 years in custody, but under an agreement will only serve six months in local jail.
He will register as a sex offender and be required to pay a quarter million dollars in compensation.
Background of the Case
The former minister founded Gateway church in Southlake, the state of Texas. He grew it into one of the top 10 largest large churches in the United States, with over twenty-five thousand attendees weekly.
Cindy Clemishire, fifty-five, the woman who publicly identified herself as the victim of the abuse, was there in court as he admitted his guilt. 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 woman but a minor. You committed a crime against me.”
Her sister a family member also made a declaration, saying: “You pretended to be holy, speaking from big pulpits. As you hid behind your facade, we’ve been aware you are simply a predator.”
The pastor stepped down from the congregation last year after the victim made her story known. She had devoted many years seeking justice for the abuse.
Details of the Abuse
The molestation began in 1982 when Morris, then 21, was a itinerant preacher. He stayed with Clemishire’s family in their home, where he asked the girl into his bedroom.
The molestation continued for the next four-year period.
A leaked transcript of a phone call showed that in 2005, the pastor tried to bribe Clemishire into not speaking out, saying to her to “name your price”.
Downfall and Associations
Morris’s conviction signals a dramatic downfall for the minister. At his height, he authored several bestselling books and his sermons were broadcast globally.
He also served as a religious counselor to Donald Trump. He joined the presidential advisory group during the first Trump presidency and was involved in an effort to organize religious voters for him in the recent election.
The former president also visited the church in 2020 where he commended the pastor and his senior team as “wonderful individuals with a stellar reputation”.
