Blumenthal & Moran Statement on DOJ Decision Not To Prosecute FBI Agents Who Mishandled the Larry Nassar Case & Lied to Investigators

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), authors of the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athlete Act, released the following statement after the Department of Justice again declined to prosecute Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents who failed to act on reports they received about Larry Nassar’s abuse of athletes and later lied to investigators. This misconduct was outlined in a report released by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (OIG DOJ). The DOJ IG made criminal referrals for these actions, which the Department of Justice has decided not to act on for a second time.

“This decision is infuriating. FBI agents who knew of Larry Nassar’s abuse, did nothing, and then lied about it will face no legal consequences for their actions. Dozens of athletes would have been spared unimaginable abuse if these agents had just done their jobs. Their actions demand accountability.”

“Our frustrations are compounded by the fact that the Department has provided no public explanation for this decision. As we have noted before, the Justice Manual authorizes a case-closing letter explaining the Department’s decision-making in similar situations, especially where law enforcement officers are accused of misconduct or criminal behavior. This case certainly qualifies for such treatment.”

“Weeks ago, we asked the Department of Justice to conduct a comprehensive review of all information in its possession relating to the Nassar investigation, including criminal referrals made by our subcommittee. We have not received a response.”

Blumenthal and Moran repeatedly pressed the DOJ IG to investigate and report on the FBI’s handling of the Nassar case after uncovering evidence of misconduct during their eighteen-month investigation into systemic abuse within the U.S. Olympic movement. Their joint congressional investigation was launched the day after Larry Nassar was sentenced to prison and included four subcommittee hearings, interviews with Olympic athletes and survivors, and the retrieval of over 70,000 pages of documents.

In March, Blumenthal and Moran wrote Attorney General Merrick Garland calling on DOJ to review all information in its possession related to the FBI mishandling of its inquiry into Nassar, citing several circumstances that have not yet been addressed by DOJ. The full text of the letter is available here.

In 2020, Congress approved Blumenthal and Moran’s sweeping Olympic reform legislation to reform the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in the wake of abuse allegations that touched nearly all corners of Olympic sport.

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