Sen. ted-cruz” target=”_blank”>Ted Cruz< in investigating serial abuser Larry Nassar.
The four gymnasts are among more than a hundred who have accused Nassar of molesting them under the guise of medical treatment while he worked as a doctor for USA Gymnastics and the Michigan State University. While Nassar is now in prison, a recent Justice Department inspector general’s report revealed that the FBI failed to take swift action after being notified of abuse allegations.
US OLYMPIC GYMNASTS SLAM NASSAR INVESTIGATION, ALLEGE FBI ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE,’ FALSIFIED REPORT
“I want to thank each of you for being here. Being here this morning was not easy,” Cruz said. “Each of you inspire millions across the globe. Millions look to your athletic achievements, you have all stood on the biggest stages of the world and done extraordinary things.
“And you were able to do that through tens of thousands of hours of incredible hard work,” he continued. “And yet that work pales compared to the courage it took to come here today and to tell your story publicly.”
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United States Olympic gymnast Simone Biles testifies during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI’s handling of the Larry Nassar investigation on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, in Washington. Nassar was charged in 2016 with federal child pornography offenses and sexual abuse charges in Michigan. He is now serving decades in prison after hundreds of girls and women said he sexually abused them under the guise of medical treatment when he worked for Michigan State and Indiana-based USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)
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United States gymnasts from left, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, and Aly Raisman arrive for a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI’s handling of the Larry Nassar investigation on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, in Washington. Nassar was charged in 2016 with federal child pornography offenses and sexual abuse charges in Michigan. He is now serving decades in prison after hundreds of girls and women said he sexually abused them under the guise of medical treatment when he worked for Michigan State and Indiana-based USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)
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U.S. Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols arrive to testify during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI handling of the Larry Nassar investigation of sexual abuse of Olympic gymnasts, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15, 2021. (Saul Loeb/Pool via REUTERS)
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U.S. Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols arrive to testify during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI handling of the Larry Nassar investigation of sexual abuse of Olympic gymnasts, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15, 2021. (Saul Loeb/Pool via REUTERS)
Maroney told the committee that she spoke to the FBI for hours, going through details of her abuse, only for an FBI employee to wait more than a year before making a report of the conversation that misrepresented her story.
USA GYMNASTICS SEX ABUSE SCANDAL: FBI FIRES AGENT AHEAD OF SENATE TESTIMONY
Raisman said it took 14 months for the FBI to reach out to her, despite her making repeated requests to tell her story. Biles said that reading the Inspector General’s report made her feel as if “the FBI turned a blind eye to us” and worked to protect the institutions – USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee – that enabled Nassar for years.
“The system failed you,” Cruz said.
“I want to thank you,” he continued. “I want to thank you for calling out the abuse, calling out the system that failed you, and that system needs to change. That system needs to be held accountable so that this doesn’t happen again.”
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Cruz went on say that he hopes any child currently suffering abuse sees how these gymnasts came forward, and realize that they can come forward too.
“So thank you for your courage,” he said. “It makes an enormous difference.”
