Email sheds new light on Texas Republican's role in Southern Baptist sex abuse scandal

In 2017, a Houston college student wrote to the family of Paul Pressler, warning them that the former Texas judge and Southern Baptist leader was a pedophile. “I do not think Paul should be around small children or have male assistance of any kind.” Then, the young man said he was resigning as Pressler’s personal aide, and asked that Pressler’s former law partner, Jared Woodfill, stop paying him to work out of Pressler’s Houston mansion. Rollins also alleged that other defendants — including Woodfill, the Southern Baptist Convention and Pressler’s longtime church, First Baptist Church of Houston — of enabling or concealing Pressler’s behavior. Especially recently, a young man’s willingness to perform this act seems to be the main reason he hires them.” The aide then detailed two recent incidents that he said were “just the tip of the iceberg.” Days before he sent the email, the aide wrote, Pressler had bragged about being in a hot tub naked with three boys under the age of 10 and their father. “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.’ “ The day before the aide penned the letter, he said he was repeatedly caressed by Pressler, who told him that “I really need this.”” At the time, they were on their way to pick up a 20-year-old man who was nearly homeless and had called Pressler for help, the aide wrote.