Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is demanding answers from the FBI on its failure to implement necessary changes to improve its practices regarding child sex offense cases. A recent Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audit (“the 2024 Audit”) spurred this latest oversight push, which builds on Grassley’s longtime work to strengthen FBI investigations into child sex abuse reports.
“The chasm between the FBI’s promises and performance undermines trust, raises sincere doubts about the FBI’s handling of child sex abuse cases, and makes it difficult to take the FBI’s acceptance of recent OIG recommendations seriously,” Grassley wrote in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray.
After its botched investigation into former USA Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar, the FBI committed to making meaningful reforms. However, the DOJ OIG’s 2024 Audit reveals the FBI:
- Did not issue promised policy guidelines directing employees to report child sex abuse to State, Local, Tribal and Territorial authorities, regardless of whether the allegation fell within FBI jurisdiction. These very vulnerabilities prevented local law enforcement in Michigan from swiftly bringing Nassar to justice.
- Still heavily relies on the outdated Sentinel system it used during the Nassar investigation, as opposed to the updated Guardian system that consolidates case data in a central location and pushes alerts for timely reviews.
- Has yet to act on 83 percent of the 42 cases the OIG flagged as requiring an immediate response, despite confirming it would.
These discrepancies have unacceptably enabled reported child sex abuse to go uninvestigated, in one instance for up to 21 months. Grassley is seeking accountability from the FBI, progress updates on the 42 cases the OIG escalated during the audit, and information on why the agency is opting to use outdated case tracking technology over a more secure – and available – alternative. He’s also digging into FBI Headquarters’ apparent refusal to address staffing shortages in field offices.
Download Grassley’s full letter HERE.
