An investigation was launched by the U.S. Department of Justice into the FBI's response and handling of the sexual abuse allegations against ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, people familiar with the investigation said it is looking into the delay in FBI agents' response to gymnast claims against him.
Allegations that the FBI failed to act on the complaints when they came from the U.S. national-team gymnasts in 2015 is what prompted the Department of Justice to launch this investigation.
According to the article by the Wall Street Journal, when USA Gymnastics leadership began reporting gymnasts' concerns regarding Nassar's sexual abuse to the FBI's Indianapolis field office in 2015, the FBI office and multiple other offices "failed to act on" these claims. In fact, an FBI investigation into Nassar did not begin until the following year.
The Wall Street Journal reported that federal law-enforcement officials told their reporters that FBI offices did not "obtain enough information to prove a federal crime" at the time. They also reported that the FBI began an internal inspection on the handling of the Nassar scandal earlier this year.
People who are familiar with the Department of Justice's investigation said they are also looking into former USA Gymnastics Chief Executive Steve Penny's communications with officials at certain FBI field offices.
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