Senate

Biles, other star gymnasts to testify Wednesday at Nassar Senate hearing

by Olafimihan Oshin 09/13/21 02:23 PM CDT

Current and former Team USA gymnasts, including Simone Biles, are set to testify on Wednesday in the Senate’s hearing on the FBI’s investigation of former team trainer Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to prison in 2018 in connection with years of sexual abuse involving the program.

The Senate Judiciary Committee shared on Monday that Biles and her former teammates McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols will testify in the full committee meeting.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray will also testify.

The Senate Judiciary Committee announced it was holding a hearing earlier this month over what it said was the FBI’s “dereliction of duty” in its handling of the investigation into Nassar.

The hearing had initially been scheduled earlier following the release by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General of a report that found that FBI officials failed to quickly address accusations against Nassar. That report found that the FBI and local authorities did not bring a case for more than a year, which may have allowed the abuse of gymnasts to continue.

“Despite the extraordinarily serious nature of the allegations and the possibility that Nassar’s conduct could be continuing, senior officials in the FBI Indianapolis Field Office failed to respond to the Nassar allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required,” the report said.

The report also shared that the FBI’s field office in Indianapolis made “numerous and fundamental errors” in its investigation, violating FBI policies as well.

In response, the FBI said the actions from its employees on this case were “inexcusable and a discredit to this organization,” adding that those responsible for the misconduct no longer work for the bureau.

Nassar, who was charged with multiple counts of federal pornography and sexual abuse, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison in 2018 after pleading guilty to 10 molestation charges.