Eric Schmitt, Republican Senators Urge FBI’s ‘Indefensible’ Handling of Child Sex Abuse Cases |

Republican Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri released a letter Friday pressuring the FBI in response to an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audit that found “serious flaws” in the agency’s handling of cases of child sexual abuse.

Schmitt, who was joined by 10 other Senate Republicans, addressed FBI Director Christopher Wray after the OIG report found cases of “gross negligence” in areas such as victim assistance, mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse, interoffice case transfers and timely responses on child abuse. allegations of sexual abuse, the letter said. Schmitt asked the FBI to explain how these errors occurred, whether the agency had taken any disciplinary action and to describe how resources were allocated to handle child sexual abuse cases.

“This level of negligence is beyond unacceptable – it is indefensible,” Schmitt said in the letter.

“At a time of historically low trust in American institutions, the FBI continues to undermine its own credibility when it comes to protecting our children from predators who seek to harm them,” Schmitt said in a news release. “It is not only outrageous but unacceptable that the FBI continues to fail the victims of sexual abusers. These victims deserve justice. The FBI has questions to answer and changes to make in the coming days and months.”

In nearly half of the cases reviewed by the OIG, the FBI failed to comply with mandatory reporting requirements to state and local law enforcement and social services agencies, the letter said. Of the reports submitted, only 43% were assessed within 24 hours and only 17% were fully documented.

The audit also found that an alarming 73% of transferred allegations did not involve verbal contact or acknowledgment of receipt, the letter said. In one case, the FBI delayed action on an allegation against a registered sex offender for over a year during which he allegedly began abusing another individual.

“How can the American public trust the FBI when it consistently fails to fulfill its duties in protecting our children from abuse?” Schmitt said in the letter.

After the Larry Nassar scandal, in which the USA Gymnastics coach was convicted of sexually assaulting hundreds of athletes, the FBI said it would improve its standards to ensure these types of cases are handled appropriately, the letter said. Schmitt pointed out that the OIG report proves that FBI enforcement is not sufficient.

“Under Wray’s leadership, the FBI has not only failed to make effective changes, but has instead continued to mishandle child sexual abuse cases with disturbing frequency,” Schmitt said in the letter.

Along with these findings, Schmitt points to a 2022 whistleblower report alleging that child sex abuse investigations were “deprioritized in favor of politically charged January 6 investigations,” according to the letter. The Justice Department has requested more than $30 million from Congress specifically for Jan. 6 investigations, prioritizing “DEI hiring practices” and other “radical reforms.”

“Protecting all Americans, especially children, must take priority over politically motivated side issues,” Schmitt said. “Ignoring child exploitation investigations for political reasons is a grave betrayal of the victims who rely on the FBI’s expertise and resources.”

The letter was signed by both Schmitt and Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Braun of Indiana, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Marco Rubio of Florida, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.