Pastor of Texas megachurch resigns after allegations of sexual abuse

Robert Morris, pastor of a Dallas megachurch and spiritual adviser to former President Donald Trump, has resigned after a woman alleged that he sexually abused her as a child in the 1980s.

The Gateway Church’s Board of Elders announced Morris’ resignation in a statement on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, prior to Friday, June 14, the elders did not have all the facts about the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the duration of the abuse,” the board said in the statement. “The elders had previously assumed that Morris’ extramarital relationship, which he had often mentioned during his tenure, was with ‘a young lady,’ and not the abuse of a 12-year-old child.”

The board said it had hired the law firm Haynes and Boone to conduct an independent investigation into the abuse allegations against Morris, which were first published Friday on the Christian watchdog website The Wartburg Watch.

Cindy Clemishire, 54, told NBC News that Morris first abused her when she was 12 and he was 21. He allegedly invited her into his room and touched her inappropriately. The abuse continued for the next four and a half years.

“When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual conduct with a young lady in a house where I lived. It was kissing and petting and not sexual intercourse, but it was wrong,” Morris said in a statement to the Christian contribution about the allegations.

“In March 1987, this situation was brought to light and I confessed and repented,” he added. “I submitted myself to the elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. They asked me to resign from the ministry and accept counseling and freedom mission, which I did. Since that time, I have led a purity and responsibility in this area.”

Clemishire told the outlet she was “appalled” by his characterization of her as a “young lady.”

“I was 12 years old. I was a little girl. A very innocent little girl,” she said.

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Gateway Church was founded by Morris in 2000 and is attended by over 100,000 people each weekend at multiple locations, according to the church’s website.

A spokesman for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign told NBC News that Morris was not involved with the campaign and that the former president was unaware of the allegations.