DOJ Launches New Probe Into FBI Investigation Of Disgraced Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar
Topline
The U.S. Department of Justice will renew its investigation into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s handling of the allegations of sex abuse made against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, and review its decision to not prosecute two agents accused of mishandling the case.
US Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols arrive to testify … [+]
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite, Jr. has opened a review of the FBI’s probe into Nassar that will include “new information that has come to light,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday morning during a hearing about the Violence Against Women Act.
Monaco did not offer more details, saying she was “constrained” as to how much she could share.
Crucial Quote
“I want the survivors to understand how exceptionally seriously we take this issue, and believe that this deserves a thorough and full review,” Monaco said Tuesday.
Tangent
The announcement follows emotional testimony during a Senate Judiciary hearing last month by four elite gymnasts who claimed the FBI and gymnastics groups “enabled and perpetrated” Nassar’s abuse, as Simone Biles, the most-decorated U.S. gymnast in history, said. Aly Raisman, captain of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team during the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, said the FBI “failed to handle their most basic duties” and allowed Nassar access to children for a year after first being made aware of the allegations against him. She compared the move to “serving innocent children up to a pedophile on a silver platter.”
Key Background
In July, the Office of the Inspector General released a report that found that agents with the FBI Indianapolis office mishandled reports made against Nassar to a degree that was “inexcusable.” According to the probe, the FBI dragged their feet even after victims reported Nassar had sexually abused them in 2015, allowing the doctor to abuse at least 70 additional victims before he was arrested a year later. In 2020, the Justice Department opted not to prosecute two specific agents singled out in the report. Nassar was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to up to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges like child pornography, evidence tampering and sexual assault.
Further Reading
Simone Biles, Other Elite Gymnasts Slam FBI For ‘Failed’ Nassar Investigation (Forbes)
FBI ‘Mishandled’ Investigation Into Disgraced Gymnastics Coach Larry Nassar, DOJ Says (Forbes)
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