WASHINGTON — Three years after the Justice Department’s internal comptroller he snapped The FBI for its failures in the case of sex offenders and ex-convicts USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry NassarAn audit released Thursday finds the bureau is still failing to protect children who have been sexually abused.
New report A review of 327 cases by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz found 42 cases so deficient that auditors called for immediate attention and contact with the FBI.
In one case, the audit found that a child had been sexually abused over a 15-month period, while another victim had been abused by the same person, and the FBI failed to investigate the case. The IG reported on a separate FBI investigation in which the FBI found another instance of a 2-year-old child being abused for 21 months while sitting on the case and taking no investigative steps. These circumstances mirror what happened in the Nassar case, although FBI Director Christopher Wray has assured Congress and the public that it will not happen again.
In 47% of the cases examined, the Justice Department watchdog found no evidence that the FBI followed mandatory reporting requirements to notify state or local authorities of an alleged child sexual abuse. In 43% of the cases, the audit found that it wasn’t just a lack of documents on file—the FBI should have taken additional investigative steps that should have happened first.
In Nassar’s case, the report said an additional 70 gymnasts said they were abused by him during his one-year absence, adding that the FBI did not investigate the allegations it presented to agents.
In response, the FBI suggested that this was largely due to improper documentation, which the report refutes by saying that 43% of problematic cases require more FBI action than just paperwork.
A senior FBI official cited budget cuts as one of the reasons this mission was particularly difficult, and said they take any compliance issue very seriously. The official said there are a small minority of cases where the FBI’s inaction has harmed children, and under no circumstances is that acceptable to the FBI.
“The FBI’s failures that allowed Larry Nassar to abuse young victims continue to stain the Bureau,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement on the FBI.
“Today’s report shows that the FBI’s new policies to address these horrific failures are effectively being ignored, leading to abuses similar to those seen in the Nassar investigation. It is shameful that the FBI continues to fail victims,” he said. Binoculars.
The bureau said in a statement that ensuring the safety and security of children “is not just a priority for the FBI; It is a solemn duty that we are committed to performing to the highest standards.” The FBI is “committed to protecting the public’s trust by making the necessary improvements to ensure that the significant changes we made to our Violent Crimes Against Children Program in 2018 and 2019 have the intended effect of promoting the highest levels of compliance and effectiveness,” the bureau said in a statement. .”
John Manley, an attorney representing hundreds of Nassar’s accusers, including Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, said the new report shows Congress needs to act to make changes within the FBI.
“This report clearly shows that the FBI is simply not doing its job to protect our children from the monsters that are stalking them,” Manly said. “Despite years of promises and numerous congressional hearings, it’s now clear that Larry Nassar could happen again today. It’s time for Congress to act to reform the FBI. Our children deserve nothing less.”