The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints condemned anti-human trafficking activist Tim Ballard for reportedly misrepresenting his relationship with a prominent Church leader.
Utah-based faith says the anti-human trafficking activist, who may seek Mitt Romney’s Senate seat, “betrayed” his friendship with a senior apostle. Tim Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad, speaks at the Turning Point Action conference, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
, in July 2023. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has condemned his actions.Tim Ballard, the former head of the anti-human trafficking organization Operation Underground Railroad, has been condemned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for “morally unacceptable” behavior by saying, the acting president of the faith’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was a central figure in support of OUR and Tim’s private business efforts. The strongly worded public rebuke, rare for the church, came as Tim Ballard is said to be prepping a run for Utah’s soon-to-be open U.S. Senate seat next year.Tim Ballard, who is not related to the 94-year-old church leader, said the two were close associates and even partners in for-profit business ventures that would help him monetize the celebrity status he had gained through his exploits rescuing human trafficking victims.Those details come from hundreds of documents about a now-closed criminal investigation into OUR conducted by the Davis County attorney’s office and the FBI. County Attorney Troy Rawlings did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A statement from the Utah-based faith, which The Salt Lake Tribune confirmed, said the senior church apostle and Tim Ballard, who is a Latter-day Saint, became friends several years ago but have not been in contact for several months. “Once it became clear Tim Ballard had betrayed their friendship, through the unauthorized use of President Ballard’s name for Tim Ballard’s personal advantage and activity regarded as morally unacceptable, President Ballard withdrew his association,” according to the statement. “President Ballard never authorized his name, or the name of the church, to be used for Tim’s personal or financial interests.” M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is shown in 2021. The faith says Tim Ballard "betrayed" his friendship with the apostle. According to the VICE article, Tim Ballard allegedly told associates that M. Russell Ballard personally urged him to quit his job at Homeland Security to found OUR, and the two maintained close contact during an overseas operation the group launched based on information obtained by a psychic.
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