### Trump’s Spiritual Adviser Admits to Molesting 12-Year-Old Girl


Robert Morris, the pastor of Texas’ Gateway Church and a former spiritual adviser to Donald Trump, has admitted to "inappropriate sexual behavior" with a woman who claims he molested her when she was 12 years old.


On Friday, Cindy Clemishire revealed to The Wartburg Watch, a religious watchdog blog, that Morris invited her to his room while staying with her family for Christmas in 1982. Clemishire, then 12, alleges that Morris, who was 20 at the time, molested her and demanded she keep silent about the incident "because it will ruin everything." The abuse reportedly continued for years until Clemishire confided in a close friend, leading Morris' wife to discover the abuse and prompting Morris to step down from his ministry role, according to the report.



Despite these allegations, Morris returned to the church and founded Gateway Church in 2000, which has grown into one of the largest megachurches in the country with a weekly attendance of about 100,000. In 2016, Donald Trump appointed him to a spiritual advisory board.


Following Clemishire's disclosure, Morris acknowledged the claims in a statement to The Christian Post, admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior" with a "young lady," but did not specify Clemishire's age at the time.


“It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong,” Morris stated.


Morris claimed that with the approval of Clemishire's father and church elders, he resumed his ministry two years after the abuse was reported. “I asked their forgiveness, and they graciously forgave me,” he said.


In June 2020, Morris was pictured alongside then-President Trump and Gateway Church Bishop Harry Jackson during a roundtable at Gateway Church.


Elders at Gateway Church also confirmed to The Christian Post that Morris disclosed a "moral failure" and had been forgiven. He has not faced criminal charges, as Texas' statute of limitations does not cover sexual offenses against a child.



“Pastor Robert has been open and forthright about a moral failure he had over 35 years ago when he was in his twenties and prior to him starting Gateway Church. He has shared publicly from the pulpit the proper biblical steps he took in his lengthy restoration process,” church elders stated, according to The Christian Post.


However, the church has shielded Morris from public scrutiny. He did not lead the church’s Saturday services, and the church has declined to provide further interviews or statements, as reported by the Dallas Morning News.


Clemishire told the Dallas Morning News that her family never condoned Morris’ return to ministry, contradicting Morris’ claims.


“We don’t believe anyone that’s done anything like this should be an overseer to anyone in any industry, but especially in the church,” Clemishire said.


Regarding Morris' public apology, Clemishire dismissed its sincerity.


“I don’t think that it’s repentant when someone calls a 12-year-old a young lady and tries to just dismiss what happened as just some heavy petting,” Clemishire said. “I don’t believe that’s repentance. There’s no child on earth that any person should ever do that to. It’s just unacceptable. There’s zero excuse.”