Star U.S. gymnasts offered stark criticism Wednesday of the FBI’s handling of its investigation into sexual assault and harassment in the U.S. …
Star U.S. gymnasts offered stark criticism Wednesday of the FBI’s handling of its investigation into sexual assault and harassment in the U.S. gymnastics, prompting criticism from lawmakers of the Department of Justice. “We have been failed and we deserve answers,” Olympic medalist Simone Biles, widely considered the greatest U.S. gymnast of all time, said during testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The entire day of testimony was a difficult one for the FBI, which fired one agent involved with the investigation a week before the hearing. “I want to begin by saying to the brave women who testified this morning… I’m deeply and profoundly sorry to each and every one of you,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in his own testimony. “I’m sorry that so many different people let you down over and over again. And I’m especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed, and that is inexcusable,” Wray said. The hearing comes several months after the Department of Justice’s Inspector General released a report detailing the failures of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field office while responding to allegations against disgraced gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to prison in 2018.
