A spiritual adviser for President Donald Trump forgave the president’s sexual misconduct ― alleged and otherwise ― in a startling interview with The New Yorker.Mark Burns, a South Carolina-based pastor, gave his wildly generous take on the president’s troubling history with women to writer Isaac Chotiner, whose reply to one comment spiced up the exchange.Trump was found liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll (although the $83 million defamation award he was ordered to pay her is on hold for the time being.) He has been accused of predatory behavior by dozens of women. And he infamously bragged that he was free to grab women “by the pussy.”Chotiner remarked that, contrary to many other Trump allies, Burns does not appear to deny the sexual misconduct allegations about the president, but assumes that Trump did do those things and that “God works in mysterious ways and can use Trump to lead the country nevertheless.”“Is that accurate?” Chotiner asked.“Well, I think that it could be said about all of us,” Burns replied. “I mean, Isaac, you have things in your closet that you pray never show up on CNN. There are things that you’ve done that you pray to God never become a New Yorker story.”“That’s interesting,” Chotiner replied, “but I haven’t grabbed women against their will and bragged about it, or posted a video of the Obamas as apes. So maybe there’s a sliding scale of what people do and how we should judge them?”Mark Burns, right, defended Donald Trump in a wild New Yorker interview, saying, ”it doesn’t matter what President Trump has done in his past.”Getty“Ultimately, God is our judge, not people,” Burns answered. “And we may have a sliding scale, as you say, in man’s law, because it is true, murder is way more dangerous and carries heavier weights than jaywalking or eating too much. Gluttony is just as much a sin as murder, but in the eyes of man, murder carries way more weight, and it should be handled the way that the word of God says it should be handled.”“But in the eyes of God, who is our ultimate judge, God is a God of forgiveness,” the pastor continued. “God is a God of love. So, having said that, it doesn’t matter what President Trump has done in his past.”“It doesn’t matter?” Chotiner asked.“It doesn’t matter in the eyes of the Lord, and apparently, it doesn’t really matter to the eyes of the American voters because they voted for him and made him president twice. Many would argue three times.”Burns evaded revealing where he stood on Trump’s cornerstone lie about the 2020 election.“What does matter is this: We’re talking about the fact that it doesn’t matter what President Trump has done in his past, as long as he’s repented and asked for forgiveness,” he said. “The president is not grabbing anybody or talking about grabbing anybody from their private parts today.”The NewsCan't Wait.Neither Can We.Your SupportFuelsOur MissionYour SupportFuelsOur MissionSupport HuffPostMisinformation spreads fast. Fact-based reporting is how we fight back. Your membership funds the reporters holding power accountable every single day. Join HuffPost and be part of our mission.We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.“Our fierce, independent reporting and unvarnished perspective hold power to account and inform millions of readers. Please support this hard-hitting journalism.”Whitney SnyderEditor-in-Chief HuffPostSupport $5/monthSilverMonthly recurring supporter-only emailFewer requests for financial supportSupport $10/monthGoldEverything in the Silver TierAd-free access on the HuffPost website OR HuffPost appsSay goodbye to annoying video interruptions while you read. No more autoplay videos.Support $20/monthPlatinumEverything in the Gold TierAd-free access on the HuffPost website AND HuffPost appsEarly access to new featuresMembership to Platinum Club focus groupMake a One Time ContributionJoin HuffPostAlready a member? Log in to hide these messages.