U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is seeking a federal Department of Justice investigation into the U.S. Olympic Committee’s handling of sexual abuse allegations against a former team doctor.
The New York Democrat called for action Saturday following recent reports that the USOC knew about probable crimes committed by Dr. Larry Nassar as early as 2015.
Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics national team and Michigan State University doctor, was convicted of multiple counts of criminal sexual abuse.
More than 150 women and girls accused Nassar of sexual abuse over two decades. He was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison in January. After his conviction, it was announced all members of the USOC Gymnastics board would resign.
Gillibrand said the U.S. Olympic Committee appeared to ignore reports of crimes committed by Nassar against young girls. She said the DOJ should investigation should “determine the depth of their failures and whether they violated the law.”
Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly cited Larry Nassar as a former doctor at the University of Michigan, not Michigan State University.
