The Southern Baptist Convention’s most notorious sexual predator was enabled by his former law partner, who now is running for the Texas House of Representatives and wants to become speaker of the House, according to a new report in the Texas Tribune.
A Jan. 23 article by Robert Downen — who in 2019 broke the story of coverups of clergy sexual abuse in the SBC — cites newly discovered evidence filed in court as part of the recently settled lawsuit brought against Paul Pressler, the SBC and others by Duane Rollins.
One specific piece of evidence is a letter written in 2017 by a Houston Baptist University student who had been hired as Pressler’s personal aide by attorney Jared Woodfill, who at the time had recently stepped down as chair of the Harris County GOP and was waging a campaign against gay rights in Houston.
Jared Woodfill
Woodfill currently is running for Texas House District 138, and his campaign website says he’s also running for speaker of the House. He is a member of Second Baptist Church in Houston, where Pressler began attending after leaders of First Baptist Church confronted him about allegations of inappropriate behavior with boys and young men.
Woodfill also has been a key ally and defender of embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was impeached last year by the Texas House but not convicted by the Texas Senate.
For the Tribune, Downen has sifted through reams of documents filed in the now-settled court case against Pressler. One piece of evidence filed late in the case is an email written by the college student who warned Woodfill and the Pressler family that Pressler is a pedophile.
“There is a serious issue at hand,” he wrote, saying Pressler recently had touched him and bragged about being naked with young boys. “I do not think Paul should be around small children or have male assistance of any kind,” he said.
“I do not think Paul should be around small children or have male assistance of any kind.”
The young man resigned as Pressler’s personal aide and asked that Woodfill stop paying him to work out of Pressler’s Houston home.
“My conscience dictates that I step away,” he wrote. “Please take me off the payroll. If I am to continue receiving paychecks from Woodfill in the continuing weeks, I will have them sent back.”
Last year, the Texas Tribune reported that Woodfill testified under oath that he was made aware of child sexual abuse claims against Pressler in 2004, when the two of them were law partners.
The latest story explains: “Despite that, Woodfill continued to lean on the political connections of Pressler — who did almost no work for their firm but was compensated via a string of young, male personal assistants who worked out of his home. Three have accused Pressler of sexual assault or misconduct.”
The Tribune article claims Woodfill “continued to furnish Pressler with young aides until at least 2017 — 13 years after he was first warned that Pressler was a sexual predator, and less than a year after he was made aware of new sexual misconduct allegations.”
Despite his own court testimony, Woodfill has denied any wrongdoing.
“For as long as I can tell, Paul has fostered inappropriately close relationships to the young men who work for him.”
The letter from the college student gave graphic testimony against Pressler: “For as long as I can tell, Paul has fostered inappropriately close relationships to the young men who work for him. I have both heard stories of and personally witnessed Paul getting young men who work for him to give him full-body massages, with all present parties in the nude. Especially recently, a young man’s willingness to perform this act seems to be the main reason he hires them.”
The student said Pressler had bragged about being in a hot tub naked with three boys under the age of 10 and their father.
“After bragging about this hot tub experience, Paul told me, ‘You seriously need to get over your phobia of taking off your clothes with me.’ Paul then went on to say that ‘if the young boys were okay with getting naked in the hot tub with me then so you should be ok with it also.’”
Pressler was the co-architect of the SBC’s so-called “conservative resurgence” that began in 1979 and propelled theological conservatives to take control of the entire denominational structure.
The Texas Tribune said Pressler’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment on its story.
Related articles:
Confidential settlement reached in Pressler sexual abuse case
SBC attorney calls Pressler a ‘monster,’ a ‘predator’ and ‘of the devil’
New court documents show First Baptist Houston leaders knew of allegations against Pressler in 2004