Trump's Alleged Affair With Porn Star Stormy Daniels 'Doesn't Matter,' Robert Jeffress Says
Even if the alleged affair between President Donald Trump and pornographic film star Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, is true, evangelicals will still support him, says Robert Jeffress, pastor of the 12,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.
"Evangelicals know they are not compromising their beliefs in order to support this great president," Jeffress said last Thursday in response to charges of hypocrisy against evangelicals who support Trump, in an interview with Fox News
"Evangelicals still believe in the commandment: Thou shalt not have sex with a porn star. However, whether this president violated that commandment or not is totally irrelevant to our support of him," Jeffress added, pointing out that evangelicals already knew the president is no "altar boy."
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"We supported him because of his policies and his strong leadership," he said.
"Evangelicals understand the concept of sin and forgiveness. We are all sinners. We all need forgiveness. That forgiveness is available through Christ for anyone who asks. Whether the president needs that forgiveness for this particular allegation, whether he's asked for it, is between him, his family and his God," Jeffress said.
In response to the remarks, the liberal website Right Wing Watch posted a video of Jeffress in March, 2008, appearing to make the opposite argument in relation to Mitt Romney, a Latter-day Saint who was running for the Republican presidential nomination at the time.
"... the hypocrisy of some evangelical leaders ... who, for the last eight years of the Bush administration, have been telling us how important it is to have an evangelical Christian in office who reads his Bible every day. And now, suddenly, the same leaders are telling us that a candidate's faith really isn't that important. In fact, one of those leaders, a good friend of mine, said on national television, when it came to supporting Mitt Romney, he said, 'Well, after all, we are not electing a theologian in chief, we are electing a commander in chief.' My fear is such a sudden U-turn is going to give people a case of voter whiplash. I think people have to decide, and Christian leaders have to decide once and for all, whether a candidate's faith is really important," Jeffress said.
According to CNN, the president's attorney Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 in 2016 to keep her from talking about an alleged July 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. The president however "vehemently denies" the encounter.
On Monday, Daniels through her lawyer Michael Avenatti offered to return the payment in order to be able to speak publicly about the alleged encounter, according to The New York Times.
Once the money has been returned, the contract effecting Daniels' silence will be "deemed null and void;" she would then be allowed to "(a) speak openly and freely about her prior relationship with the President and the attempts to silence her and (b) use and publish any text messages, photos and/or videos relating to the President that she may have in her possession, all without fear of retribution and/or legal liability for damages," a copy of the offer letter from Daniels' lawyer said.
"As we have always said, this is about a search for the truth and the ability of Ms. Clifford to tell the American people what really happened so they can make their own determination,'' Avenatti explained. "Our offer proves this out."
The offer also seeks to ensure that neither the president nor the shell company Cohen used to pay Daniels in 2016 would seek to block the broadcast of a "60 Minutes" interview Daniels taped last week.
"Even if it's proven true, it doesn't matter" said Jeffress.
"I'm asked the question, 'What would it take for evangelicals to walk away from President Trump?' I'm his friend. I'll never walk away, but I think if his policy changes or if he were found to be in an adulterous relationship now, that would cause many people a problem," Jeffress said.
