Megachurch Minister and FormerTrump Adviser Admits Guilt to Child Sexual Abuse

The head of among the biggest megachurches in the US, the pastor, has pleaded guilty to molesting a 12-year-old girl in the state of Oklahoma during the 1980s.

Morris, sixty-four, pleaded guilty on Thursday in Osage county district court on five criminal counts of inappropriate acts with a child. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but as part of a plea deal will only serve half a year in local jail.

He will register as a registered offender and pay a quarter million dollars in restitution.

Context of the Case

The former minister founded the church in the city of Southlake, Texas. He expanded it into one of the top 10 largest large churches in the United States, with more than 25,000 visitors each week.

Cindy Clemishire, 55, the individual who publicly identified herself as the survivor of Morris’s sexual abuse, was present in the courtroom 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 not involved in any improper relationship. I was not a young woman but a minor. You performed a criminal act against me.”

Her sibling Karen Black also made a declaration, stating: “You pretended to be holy, speaking from large platforms. As you concealed your true self, we’ve known you are simply a predator.”

Morris resigned from the church last year after Clemishire made her story known. She had spent years trying to hold her abuser accountable.

Details of the Abuse

The abuse began in 1982 when Morris, at age twenty-one, was a itinerant preacher. He was a guest of Clemishire’s family in their residence, where he asked the girl into his room.

The abuse persisted for the following four years.

A revealed recording of a conversation revealed that in 2005, Morris tried to bribe Clemishire into silence, saying to her to “put a price on it”.

Downfall and Connections

Morris’s conviction marks a remarkable fall for the pastor. At his peak, he authored multiple popular books and his sermons were transmitted globally.

He also became 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 evangelical voters for him in the recent election.

Trump also attended the church in 2020 where he praised Morris and his leadership as “wonderful individuals with a great reputation”.