Former Trump spiritual advisor Robert Morris told his sexual abuse accuser that she could be “criminally prosecuted” if he paid her money to prevent her from going public, according to emails.
Cindy Clemishire, who has accused the megachurch pastor of molesting her for years when she was a child, emailed him in 2005 asking for “restitution.”
In emails, obtained by NBC News, Morris replied with a warning that she could be “criminally prosecuted” if he paid her.
Last week, Morris admitted that he had engaged in "sexual behavior" with a child, and resigned from his leadership duties at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. He has not been charged with a crime.
Morris was a leading figure in the Evangelical Christian community, and served on former president Donald Trump’s spiritual advisory board.
In the emails, Clemishire, now 54, accused Morris of "destroying" her life, and asks for compensation for "pain and damage". The emails were sent between April and October 2005.
“Twenty-three years after you began destroying my life, I am still dealing with the pain and damage you caused,” an email, on September 20, 2005, read. "I want some type of restitution. Pray about it and call me."
Two weeks later, Morris responded to the email. He wrote that he had already asked for forgiveness from Clemishire's father and so, in his mind, the matter was settled, according to NBC.
“Debbie and I really do care for you and we sincerely want God’s best for you,” Morris wrote, referring to his wife.
He explained that since he confessed his abuse to Clemishire's father, he believed that he had "obtained your forgiveness as well as your family's."
Then he warned her if she pursued legal action against him, she could be tried for blackmail, NBC reported.
“My attorney advises that if I pay you any money under a threat of exposure, you could be criminally prosecuted and Debbie and I do not want that,” he wrote. “If you need more information, have your attorney contact mine.”
The Independent has contacted Morris and Gateway Church’s leadership for comment on the emails.
In one email, Clemishire expressed her frustration that Morris faced no consequences for his actions.
“Men that have over 100 counts of child molestation go to prison,” she wrote. “Men who pastor churches that have over 100 counts of child molestation go to prison and pay punitive damages. You have not had to do either.”
Clemishire made the decision to go public with her story last week. A website that collects church abuse allegations, The Wartburg Watch, published her blog post where she detailed the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of Morris, beginning when she was 12. She said the abuse began in 1982 and continued until 1987, when she told her parents.
Morris admitted in his twenties that he had sexual encounters with a "young lady," but said that he had since repented.
“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,” Morris said.
He said that in 1987, after Clemishire told her parents about the abuse, that he "confessed and repented" to the Shady Grove Church, where he was pastor at the time, and to Clemishire'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,” Morris said in his statement. He added that he and his wife met with the survivor and her family in 1989.
Last week, Gateway Church's Board of Elders announced that Morris had resigned from his position at the church.
The church leaders claimed that they had been lead to believe Morris had cheated on his wife, not that he had molested a child.
“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 child,” the leaders said in a statement announcing his resignation.
Boz Tchividjian, Clemishire's attorney, issued a statement to NBC News questioning why the elders did not investigate his client's claims earlier.
“It seems as if it was preferable for them to simply accept his vague narrative instead of seeking the truth regarding a sexual offense perpetrated upon a minor,” Tchividjian said. “The leaders at Gateway had the responsibility to find out what happened and not to blindly accept his words.”
One of the elders, Tom Lane, had email interactions with Clemishire in 2005 regarding her accusations against Morris.
Lane told NBC News that he "did not fully understand the severity and specifics of the sexual abuse she experienced, nor did I know she was 12-years-old when the abuse began."
The broadcaster reports that the emails do not appear to indicate that Lane knew about Clemishire's age or the nature of the abuse.
