18 ms·

Simone Biles, Aly Raisman Suing FBI for $1B over Larry Nassar Investigation

52 points by jonwachob91 4y ago

superb-owl 4y ago
I find it really painful to see these kinds of catastrophic, systemic failures. All the warning signs were there, a fairly large number of people were aware of the problem, and he was just allowed to continue. I find it hard to avoid conspiratorial thinking in cases like this (did someone powerful shut down the investigation?), and in some cases (e.g. Epstein) that thinking seems to be vindicated. In other cases (e.g. Cosby) it seems like more of a failure of our collective conscience.
- phphphphp 4y ago
  I abhor the conspiratorial tendencies of people when considering abuse, especially in the context of powerful people. Abuse is predicated on being able to effectively pick victims that the rest of us don’t care about: Epstein et al. don’t need a grand conspiracy to execute their abuse, they just need us normal folk to ensure that there’s a fresh supply of victims. A great example of this in action is the fantasy a lot of people hold that middle class white women are being snatched off the street to be trafficked: they’re not in any volume, most trafficking victims are vulnerable people who nobody notices are missing, but nobody cares about them and so the cycle continues. If we accept that Epstein was just an abuser who killed himself, we have to confront the reality that we enable abuse, and that’s too scary a thought. Driven athletes are the perfect victims, because they feel they have so much to lose if they’re not believed.
  - superb-owl 4y ago
    When Epstein was originally convicted in Florida, it's pretty clear that Higher Powers intervened to get him: * a laughably short sentence * the ability to spend his days _in his home office_ instead of prison * protection from having his victims present at his sentencing https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7319afd037023d9a586aa291 https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7... (edit: victims, not accusers)
    - jjeaff 4y ago
      He had a lot of money and he was a well connected, powerful white guy. I think plenty of past experience tells us that you don't need some mysterious higher power to dodge responsibility for criminal behavior if you meet that criteria.
      - troon-lover 4y ago
      - superb-owl 4y ago
        I think this is more semantics than anything. I used "Higher Power" in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way. Obviously there were one or more people who Epstein was "connected" to, who pulled the right strings, not some sinister black-robed cabal that meets every Tuesday to discuss their plans for world domination. The mystery is exactly who these people are, and what kinds of pressure were applied to get them to act this way. Was it a courtesy to a friend? Blackmail? A quid-pro-quo? The world is dominated by hidden, informal power structures (friendships, alliances, etc). They are quite normal and natural, but at the highest levels can lead to the same kinds of anti-democratic, anti-social outcomes you'd expect from a sinister black-robed cabal. C.S. Lewis did a good job describing this dynamic: https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/ https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/
        jjeaff 4y ago
        I take your point. But I think the people that helped him avoid prosecution are mostly right out in the open. Several very highly paid attorneys, including Alan Dershowitz, who was lobbying his contacts behind the scenes (it seems he may have had personal motivation to help his client get a lenient sentence). And then we have Alexander Acosta, the US Attorney who has claimed he persued a lenient sentence because some "higher ups" in government told him to. Which seems about as flimsy as an excuse gets unless/until he reveals who these "higher ups" were.
  - pc86 4y ago
    I have never once heard it suggested that "middle class white women" are kidnapped off the street and trafficked in any volume. I've only ever heard it spoken about in terms of (mostly adolescent/very young) homeless people, immigrants, prostitutes, etc. As you said, people who for the most part are not noticed when they go missing.
    - stouset 4y ago
      It’s been a weirdly prevalent theme in conservative political circles the past several years.
      - robonerd 4y ago
        The only trafficking I've heard conservatives talk a lot about is trafficking of kids, particularly Epstein, Rotherham rape gangs, and also deep-end stuff like pizzagate. Conservatives being outspoken about trafficking of middle class women is news to me.
        stouset 4y ago
        There's a ton of fearmongering over people getting snatched up off the streets and being brought into trafficking in QAnon circles.
    - dkarl 4y ago
      There was a "white slavery" panic back in the day, a century or more ago. It was mostly driven by the puritanical assumption that any woman engaging in sex work must be imprisoned against her will, but it often went hand-in-hand with racism towards the supposed perpetrators. I think the idea that random middle-class people were abducted off the street and forced into prostitution hasn't been mainstream in a long, long time, but it seems like a perfect fit for the current appetite for right-wing fantasy, so I won't be surprised if we start hearing about it again.
  - smolder 4y ago
    I think it's a bit crazy to take for granted that Epstein abused those girls alone and didn't involve any of his rich and powerful associations in it, beyond Ghislaine. I'm not convinced by your line about people being scared of the thought they enable abuse. Many are reasonably scared that Epstein had associates who, in the end, got away with it. I don't assume it's true but consider it a distinct possibility and perhaps even likely.
    - curun1r 4y ago
      It feels extremely likely that there were many other powerful people who were involved. The fact that many of them (Dershowitz, Trump, Prince Andrew) were publicly accused at a time before the Miami Herald’s reporting made all this common knowledge feels pretty damn credible. I find it highly unlikely that these multiple women could independently fabricate similar stories that then perfectly align with information and photographs that subsequently emerge once the media started digging. The fact that Epstein’s original deal contained a ridiculous provision that shut down any FBI investigation into co-conspirators just seems to confirm that there were, in fact, co-conspirators. Otherwise there would have been no reason to put that in the agreement.
      - smolder 4y ago
        Oh wow, I didn't know about that provision. It makes more sense that no one else was charged, knowing that. It's disappointing, too.
  - colpabar 4y ago
    What about something like the penn state football scandal? Wasn't that a conspiracy, given that the leaders of an organization knew about the abuse, and let it slide? I also just have to say that if you really think Epstein killed himself, and that all the horrible things he (and all his ultra wealthy friends) did is our fault, then you are uninformed or naive.
  - giantg2 4y ago
    I'm generally not one to believe conspiracies. Usually incompetence is a much bigger factor. But there comes a point when the coincidences add up and the idea of it being a conspiracy becomes a legitimate possibility. For example, all the things that had to add up to get to the hanging with equipment failures. Then a related person was hanged in a French jail... again with the security cams not working. And there are enough powerful people linked that it could be feasible for one of them to order this. All the factors lining up once is a coincidence. Twice is a pattern. That's not proof, but it does increase the likelihood to a reasonable point of investigating that angle.
tootie 4y ago
The crimes this guy committed almost beggar belief. That he got away with it for so long with such prominent and visible victims is shocking. I don't really understand what precedent would allow them to sue for failure to enforce laws though. There's ample precedent that says you can't actually do that.
- mikeyouse 4y ago
  There are some egregious facts in the USA Gymnastics case - they have a big hill to climb to overcome precedent but there were a number of huge issues; - The agent who first interviewed Aly never actually wrote up a 302 until a year and a half later. This happened regularly where the FBI protocols for documentation were just ignored. - The head of the Indy FBI office leading the investigation was at the same time, applying and interviewing to be the head of security for the US Olympic Committee. working with the woman who was running USA Gymnastics. - When that Agent didn't get the job and people questioned whether that was appropriate given the investigation - he lied to his coworkers and superiors insisting he never actually applied for it. - The Indy office never forwarded the reports to local or state police because they assumed there would be Federal jurisdiction -- but then took nearly a year to follow-up during which several more girls were assaulted. They only took additional steps when USA Gymnastics went to a different FBI branch and that branch called Indy to see wtf was going on. The IG report is completely damning in a way that might extend beyond "regular duty": https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/21-093.pdf https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/21-093.p...
  - har_ry 4y ago
    I remember reading about these points in articles at the the time. Very much an "evil is a form of incompetence" sort of affair.
giantg2 4y ago
Seems like a good time to remind everyone that in general the police have no legal obligation to protect you or to file charges against someone.
- phone8675309 4y ago
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - smiddereens 4y ago
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - voisin 4y ago
    Crazy how much of municipal budgets go to police, which only protect a small portion of the populace. Massive subsidy for the rich.
    - foogazi 4y ago
      You act as if the common folk don’t benefit from the lower crime rate even as a side effect
      - voisin 4y ago
        Are there any studies that show beyond a certain level of policing there are further benefits to crime rate? It seems to me we keep arming the cops with ever more expensive military equipment and generous pensions, and I doubt it translates to any impact on the crime rate. Though if you have studies showing otherwise I would happily change my mind!
- Pulcinella 4y ago
egberts1 4y ago
Does not bode well for the I part of their motto, much less the other two letters.
oneepic 4y ago
Doesn't $1B seem a bit high? I mean no offense, it just sounds so out of left field, to demand $1B from your government.
- specto 4y ago
  It's there to make a statement, I'm sure there are limitations on suits like this.
- wmf 4y ago
  According to the article nearly $900M has already been paid out over this guy. These numbers are mind-boggling.
  - giantg2 4y ago
    "Michigan State University, which was also accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who were assaulted by Nassar. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380 million settlement." It blows my mind that places like this even have that kind of money. Or maybe they have some sort of insurance. Then there's the fact that any individuals responsible (besides the actual perpetrator) have no financial responsibility. The cost gets passed on to future students or other consumers of insured organizations.
    - nathancahill 4y ago
      "MSU's endowment had a market value of $3.9 billion in June 2021".
      - giantg2 4y ago
        Usually the endowment is protected though. They can only withdraw so much at a time because it lives in a trust, right?
    - no_wizard 4y ago
      Its an interesting thought experiment to imagine if we had a world where, if proven beyond reasonable doubt, that someone knew of something like this taking place, they bore some real responsibility as well. While I don't know anything about legal nuances to sufficiently say its a good idea (or bad, honestly), I have to say that my armchair take is this would mitigate a lot of bad in our society, as the incentives to allow things go unnoticed or effectively ignored would be gone
mattmaroon 4y ago
I don’t have a very good understanding of the legal framework here. Is there some reason the FBI was not supposed to handle this? I know there is a complex system involved and I’m not sure if the FBI is at fault or if the framework itself is severely in need of repair. Either way I hope this gets fixed so it doesn’t happen again.
robonerd 4y ago
The article says the FBI knew of the accusations by 2015, but didn't have Nassar arrested until late 2016 more than a year later. Does anybody know if a year of delay is typical or atypical? I don't know much about these processes, but my general cynicism towards the federal government has me thinking less than two years was actually fairly quick to act, by federal government standards. But I'm curious to hear what others think.
- giantg2 4y ago
  It's not unusual for large investigations to take a year or more. It's arguable about whether that makes sense in many cases, especially when damage continues to happen.
- Terry_Roll 4y ago
  Finite state resources beit policing, health care, education, can always be used as a cover for targeting and harassment by those in positions of power, its why privacy is important.
- Justin_K 4y ago
  The tough part prosecutors sometimes find themselves in is the need to collect ongoing evidence to build a case. Not sure what all the conditions were in this case but I feel like having several victims would be cause enough.
pfortuny 4y ago
I do not understand: the FBI makes a decision but if you want to compel the authorities to do something, should you not have to denounce a crime? An investigation is not the pursuing of a criminal (albeit it may end there). It is the role of the FBI to decide when to pursue. I am not defending the FBI, just trying to understand. I know denouncing the abuse formally is practically impossible without help. So, I am not trying to criticize the victims here.
mark_l_watson 4y ago
Good for them. This could be a chilling wake up call that sometimes especially brave citizens push back against government malfeasance.
almog 4y ago
Believed by NPR is the podcast you should listen to if you want to hear the story of the Larry Nasser's victims: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510326/believed https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510326/believed
- pchristensen 4y ago
  This series was haunting.
numair 4y ago
I feel for these women, but the truth of the matter is that the FBI will only investigate if it is likely that something will be turned into a case by prosecutors. And the reality of the way things work in America is, if you’re rich and powerful — or connected to a rich and powerful institution — it’s likely that prosecutors (many of whom have ambitions for elected offices or private sector jobs) are not going to be very interested in pursuing a case. Remember, it’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not Prosecution. The not-so-secret truth of how things work in America is, it’s still really really easy to “get away with it” if you have enough money and power. The FBI has lots of flaws, but this isn’t really their fault — you might want to reform campaign finance, or close off revolving door jobs for government employees, if you actually want to solve these problems. Since many of these issues can be solved at the state level, it’s not actually impossible if enough people cared enough. But alas, that’s not how America works in 2022.
anonAndOn 4y ago
The DOJ's OIG Executive Summary is a great primer on the relevant facts.[0] [0]https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/21-093.pdf https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/21-093.p...

52 points by jonwachob91 4y ago

I find it really painful to see these kinds of catastrophic, systemic failures. All the warning signs were there, a fairly large number of people were aware of the problem, and he was just allowed to continue. I find it hard to avoid conspiratorial thinking in cases like this (did someone powerful shut down the investigation?), and in some cases (e.g. Epstein) that thinking seems to be vindicated. In other cases (e.g. Cosby) it seems like more of a failure of our collective conscience.

phphphphp 4y ago
I abhor the conspiratorial tendencies of people when considering abuse, especially in the context of powerful people. Abuse is predicated on being able to effectively pick victims that the rest of us don’t care about: Epstein et al. don’t need a grand conspiracy to execute their abuse, they just need us normal folk to ensure that there’s a fresh supply of victims. A great example of this in action is the fantasy a lot of people hold that middle class white women are being snatched off the street to be trafficked: they’re not in any volume, most trafficking victims are vulnerable people who nobody notices are missing, but nobody cares about them and so the cycle continues. If we accept that Epstein was just an abuser who killed himself, we have to confront the reality that we enable abuse, and that’s too scary a thought. Driven athletes are the perfect victims, because they feel they have so much to lose if they’re not believed.
- superb-owl 4y ago
  When Epstein was originally convicted in Florida, it's pretty clear that Higher Powers intervened to get him: * a laughably short sentence * the ability to spend his days _in his home office_ instead of prison * protection from having his victims present at his sentencing https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7319afd037023d9a586aa291 https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7... (edit: victims, not accusers)
  - jjeaff 4y ago
    He had a lot of money and he was a well connected, powerful white guy. I think plenty of past experience tells us that you don't need some mysterious higher power to dodge responsibility for criminal behavior if you meet that criteria.
    - troon-lover 4y ago
    - superb-owl 4y ago
      I think this is more semantics than anything. I used "Higher Power" in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way. Obviously there were one or more people who Epstein was "connected" to, who pulled the right strings, not some sinister black-robed cabal that meets every Tuesday to discuss their plans for world domination. The mystery is exactly who these people are, and what kinds of pressure were applied to get them to act this way. Was it a courtesy to a friend? Blackmail? A quid-pro-quo? The world is dominated by hidden, informal power structures (friendships, alliances, etc). They are quite normal and natural, but at the highest levels can lead to the same kinds of anti-democratic, anti-social outcomes you'd expect from a sinister black-robed cabal. C.S. Lewis did a good job describing this dynamic: https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/ https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/
      - jjeaff 4y ago
        I take your point. But I think the people that helped him avoid prosecution are mostly right out in the open. Several very highly paid attorneys, including Alan Dershowitz, who was lobbying his contacts behind the scenes (it seems he may have had personal motivation to help his client get a lenient sentence). And then we have Alexander Acosta, the US Attorney who has claimed he persued a lenient sentence because some "higher ups" in government told him to. Which seems about as flimsy as an excuse gets unless/until he reveals who these "higher ups" were.
- pc86 4y ago
  I have never once heard it suggested that "middle class white women" are kidnapped off the street and trafficked in any volume. I've only ever heard it spoken about in terms of (mostly adolescent/very young) homeless people, immigrants, prostitutes, etc. As you said, people who for the most part are not noticed when they go missing.
  - stouset 4y ago
    It’s been a weirdly prevalent theme in conservative political circles the past several years.
    - robonerd 4y ago
      The only trafficking I've heard conservatives talk a lot about is trafficking of kids, particularly Epstein, Rotherham rape gangs, and also deep-end stuff like pizzagate. Conservatives being outspoken about trafficking of middle class women is news to me.
      - stouset 4y ago
        There's a ton of fearmongering over people getting snatched up off the streets and being brought into trafficking in QAnon circles.
  - dkarl 4y ago
    There was a "white slavery" panic back in the day, a century or more ago. It was mostly driven by the puritanical assumption that any woman engaging in sex work must be imprisoned against her will, but it often went hand-in-hand with racism towards the supposed perpetrators. I think the idea that random middle-class people were abducted off the street and forced into prostitution hasn't been mainstream in a long, long time, but it seems like a perfect fit for the current appetite for right-wing fantasy, so I won't be surprised if we start hearing about it again.
- smolder 4y ago
  I think it's a bit crazy to take for granted that Epstein abused those girls alone and didn't involve any of his rich and powerful associations in it, beyond Ghislaine. I'm not convinced by your line about people being scared of the thought they enable abuse. Many are reasonably scared that Epstein had associates who, in the end, got away with it. I don't assume it's true but consider it a distinct possibility and perhaps even likely.
  - curun1r 4y ago
    It feels extremely likely that there were many other powerful people who were involved. The fact that many of them (Dershowitz, Trump, Prince Andrew) were publicly accused at a time before the Miami Herald’s reporting made all this common knowledge feels pretty damn credible. I find it highly unlikely that these multiple women could independently fabricate similar stories that then perfectly align with information and photographs that subsequently emerge once the media started digging. The fact that Epstein’s original deal contained a ridiculous provision that shut down any FBI investigation into co-conspirators just seems to confirm that there were, in fact, co-conspirators. Otherwise there would have been no reason to put that in the agreement.
    - smolder 4y ago
      Oh wow, I didn't know about that provision. It makes more sense that no one else was charged, knowing that. It's disappointing, too.
- colpabar 4y ago
  What about something like the penn state football scandal? Wasn't that a conspiracy, given that the leaders of an organization knew about the abuse, and let it slide? I also just have to say that if you really think Epstein killed himself, and that all the horrible things he (and all his ultra wealthy friends) did is our fault, then you are uninformed or naive.
- giantg2 4y ago
  I'm generally not one to believe conspiracies. Usually incompetence is a much bigger factor. But there comes a point when the coincidences add up and the idea of it being a conspiracy becomes a legitimate possibility. For example, all the things that had to add up to get to the hanging with equipment failures. Then a related person was hanged in a French jail... again with the security cams not working. And there are enough powerful people linked that it could be feasible for one of them to order this. All the factors lining up once is a coincidence. Twice is a pattern. That's not proof, but it does increase the likelihood to a reasonable point of investigating that angle.

tootie 4y ago

The crimes this guy committed almost beggar belief. That he got away with it for so long with such prominent and visible victims is shocking. I don't really understand what precedent would allow them to sue for failure to enforce laws though. There's ample precedent that says you can't actually do that.

mikeyouse 4y ago
There are some egregious facts in the USA Gymnastics case - they have a big hill to climb to overcome precedent but there were a number of huge issues; - The agent who first interviewed Aly never actually wrote up a 302 until a year and a half later. This happened regularly where the FBI protocols for documentation were just ignored. - The head of the Indy FBI office leading the investigation was at the same time, applying and interviewing to be the head of security for the US Olympic Committee. working with the woman who was running USA Gymnastics. - When that Agent didn't get the job and people questioned whether that was appropriate given the investigation - he lied to his coworkers and superiors insisting he never actually applied for it. - The Indy office never forwarded the reports to local or state police because they assumed there would be Federal jurisdiction -- but then took nearly a year to follow-up during which several more girls were assaulted. They only took additional steps when USA Gymnastics went to a different FBI branch and that branch called Indy to see wtf was going on. The IG report is completely damning in a way that might extend beyond "regular duty": https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/21-093.pdf https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/21-093.p...
- har_ry 4y ago
  I remember reading about these points in articles at the the time. Very much an "evil is a form of incompetence" sort of affair.

giantg2 4y ago

Seems like a good time to remind everyone that in general the police have no legal obligation to protect you or to file charges against someone.

phone8675309 4y ago
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- smiddereens 4y ago
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- voisin 4y ago
  Crazy how much of municipal budgets go to police, which only protect a small portion of the populace. Massive subsidy for the rich.
  - foogazi 4y ago
    You act as if the common folk don’t benefit from the lower crime rate even as a side effect
    - voisin 4y ago
      Are there any studies that show beyond a certain level of policing there are further benefits to crime rate? It seems to me we keep arming the cops with ever more expensive military equipment and generous pensions, and I doubt it translates to any impact on the crime rate. Though if you have studies showing otherwise I would happily change my mind!
Pulcinella 4y ago

egberts1 4y ago

Does not bode well for the I part of their motto, much less the other two letters.

oneepic 4y ago

Doesn't $1B seem a bit high? I mean no offense, it just sounds so out of left field, to demand $1B from your government.

specto 4y ago
It's there to make a statement, I'm sure there are limitations on suits like this.
wmf 4y ago
According to the article nearly $900M has already been paid out over this guy. These numbers are mind-boggling.
- giantg2 4y ago
  "Michigan State University, which was also accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who were assaulted by Nassar. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380 million settlement." It blows my mind that places like this even have that kind of money. Or maybe they have some sort of insurance. Then there's the fact that any individuals responsible (besides the actual perpetrator) have no financial responsibility. The cost gets passed on to future students or other consumers of insured organizations.
  - nathancahill 4y ago
    "MSU's endowment had a market value of $3.9 billion in June 2021".
    - giantg2 4y ago
      Usually the endowment is protected though. They can only withdraw so much at a time because it lives in a trust, right?
  - no_wizard 4y ago
    Its an interesting thought experiment to imagine if we had a world where, if proven beyond reasonable doubt, that someone knew of something like this taking place, they bore some real responsibility as well. While I don't know anything about legal nuances to sufficiently say its a good idea (or bad, honestly), I have to say that my armchair take is this would mitigate a lot of bad in our society, as the incentives to allow things go unnoticed or effectively ignored would be gone

mattmaroon 4y ago

I don’t have a very good understanding of the legal framework here. Is there some reason the FBI was not supposed to handle this? I know there is a complex system involved and I’m not sure if the FBI is at fault or if the framework itself is severely in need of repair. Either way I hope this gets fixed so it doesn’t happen again.

robonerd 4y ago

The article says the FBI knew of the accusations by 2015, but didn't have Nassar arrested until late 2016 more than a year later. Does anybody know if a year of delay is typical or atypical? I don't know much about these processes, but my general cynicism towards the federal government has me thinking less than two years was actually fairly quick to act, by federal government standards. But I'm curious to hear what others think.

giantg2 4y ago
It's not unusual for large investigations to take a year or more. It's arguable about whether that makes sense in many cases, especially when damage continues to happen.
Terry_Roll 4y ago
Finite state resources beit policing, health care, education, can always be used as a cover for targeting and harassment by those in positions of power, its why privacy is important.
Justin_K 4y ago
The tough part prosecutors sometimes find themselves in is the need to collect ongoing evidence to build a case. Not sure what all the conditions were in this case but I feel like having several victims would be cause enough.

pfortuny 4y ago

I do not understand: the FBI makes a decision but if you want to compel the authorities to do something, should you not have to denounce a crime? An investigation is not the pursuing of a criminal (albeit it may end there). It is the role of the FBI to decide when to pursue. I am not defending the FBI, just trying to understand. I know denouncing the abuse formally is practically impossible without help. So, I am not trying to criticize the victims here.

mark_l_watson 4y ago

Good for them. This could be a chilling wake up call that sometimes especially brave citizens push back against government malfeasance.

almog 4y ago

Believed by NPR is the podcast you should listen to if you want to hear the story of the Larry Nasser's victims: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510326/believed https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510326/believed

pchristensen 4y ago
This series was haunting.

numair 4y ago

I feel for these women, but the truth of the matter is that the FBI will only investigate if it is likely that something will be turned into a case by prosecutors. And the reality of the way things work in America is, if you’re rich and powerful — or connected to a rich and powerful institution — it’s likely that prosecutors (many of whom have ambitions for elected offices or private sector jobs) are not going to be very interested in pursuing a case. Remember, it’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not Prosecution. The not-so-secret truth of how things work in America is, it’s still really really easy to “get away with it” if you have enough money and power. The FBI has lots of flaws, but this isn’t really their fault — you might want to reform campaign finance, or close off revolving door jobs for government employees, if you actually want to solve these problems. Since many of these issues can be solved at the state level, it’s not actually impossible if enough people cared enough. But alas, that’s not how America works in 2022.

anonAndOn 4y ago

The DOJ's OIG Executive Summary is a great primer on the relevant facts.[0] [0]https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/21-093.pdf https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/21-093.p...