Local televangelist with spotty past now Trump Christian liaison

CANFIELD

A local televangelist, who once received immunity to testify in a case-fixing trial in Mahoning County, is serving as an unpaid “liaison for Christian policy” to Republican Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Frank Amedia, who lives in Austintown and is a senior pastor at Touch Heaven Church in Canfield, in a June 1 podcast for Charisma, a Pentecostal magazine, said the Lord conveyed to him that Trump would win the nomination – that God would “put favor” on someone who is “smashing established norms” in politics.

Amedia said Wednesday that he and other pastors talked to Trump about three weeks ago in New York City.

The topics, Mr. Amedia said, were illegal immigrants, pro-life issues, supporting Israel and supporting the First Amendment.

The pastor said he met Trump during the primary campaign when he gave opening prayers at rallies for the Republican presidential candidate in Vienna Township and Cleveland.

“Mr. Trump has genuine compassion for undocumented immigrants who aren’t criminals,” Mr. Amedia said.

That’s in sharp contrast to Trump’s public statements that he wants to deport, forcibly if necessary, 11 million undocumented immigrants.

While Mr. Amedia wouldn’t directly give his opinions on illegal immigrants, he said he, too, has “compassion for those who haven’t committed crimes,” and “solving the problem” must be done in a Christian manner.

Vindicator records show that Mr. Amedia testified in a 2001 trial with immunity about his involvement in a scheme to fix an odometer- rollback case for $200,000. For more on the story, read Thursday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.