The MAGA megachurch pastor at the heart of a child sex abuse scandal has resigned from his congregation.
According to NBC News investigative reporter Mike Hixenbaugh, Robert Morris, who previously served as a religious adviser to former President Donald Trump, was confirmed to have resigned in a statement by the Board of Elders of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.
"Regretfully, prior to Friday, June 14, the elders did not have all the facts of the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the length of the abuse," said the statement." The elders' prior understanding was that Morris's extramarital relationship, which he had discussed many times throughout his ministry, was with "a young lady" and not abuse of a 12-year-old girl. Even though it occurred many years before Gateway was established, as leaders of the church, we regret that we did not have the information we now have."
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Gateway Church, which gained publicity for refusing to quarantine for COVID-19 in 2020 and saw an outbreak, said in its statement it retained a law firm to review the facts of the abuse, which is alleged to have taken place between 1982 and 1987.
After the victim's accusation, now identified as Cindy Clemishire, was made public, Morris admitted to the abuse to the Christian Post, but downplayed its severity.
"When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years," said Morris. "In March of 1987, this situation was brought to light, and it was confessed and repented of. I submitted myself to the Elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. They asked me to step out of ministry and receive counseling and freedom ministry, which I did. Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area."
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