RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week
Jan. 14 to Jan. 20
Featured Investigation Dr. Larry Nassar stood alone last November when he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with victims as young as 6. But John Barr and Dan Murphy of ESPN the Magazine report that the man at the center of the scandal that has rocked USA Gymnastics is not the only guilty party. They write: Understanding how Nassar gained unfettered access to young girls and young women over the course of a quarter-century -- despite repeated warning signs -- means confronting an uncomfortable truth: He didn't gain that access alone. Nassar was surrounded by a collection of adults who enabled his predatory behavior -- a group that included coaches of club, collegiate and elite-level gymnasts, the USA Gymnastics organization, medical professionals, administrators and coaches at Michigan State University, and gymnasts' parents, whom he groomed just as effectively as those he violated. Now that so much of the Nassar tragedy has been exposed, a lingering question remains: Were each of those enablers complicit or simply conned by a man described as a master manipulator? Their article identifies coaches, doctors and administrators who, it claims, denied, dismissed and downplayed Nassar's criminal acts while working for private gyms and schools in his home state of Michigan as well as the national team. These include John Geddert, who coached the gold-medal-winning team from the 2012 London Olympics. Although the reporters note that it is hard to prove how much Gedderts knew about Nassar's conduct, their portrait of their relationship seems damning: The two men were all but inseparable, professionally and socially. They worked together for more than 25 years, first at Great Lakes Gymnastics and, starting in 1996, at the gym Geddert owns now, Twistars USA Gymnastics Club near East Lansing. They worked the 2012 Olympics together. Geddert was in Nassar's wedding party when Nassar got married in East Lansing in 1996. They attended each other's house parties and traveled the country and, later, the world together at competitions. They vouched for each other when faced with career-threatening circumstances. Barr and Murphy report that the longtime Michigan State gymnastics coach, Kathie Klages, who resigned because of the scandal, ignored complaints lodged by two girls in 1997: "I said that he was putting his fingers inside of me ... and that it was uncomfortable, and at that point she just said she couldn't believe that was happening ... that was somebody she trusted and knew for years," [Larissa] Boyce says when asked about her meeting with Klages. Says the second former gymnast: "I thought I was gonna have someone to help me. And it wasn't that sense at all of getting help. It was more a sense of, 'Who have you told so far?' and, 'Let's not talk about this anymore.'" She spoke only on the condition of anonymity, to protect her family's privacy. Boyce and the second former gymnast say Klages never informed their parents about what they had told her. Klages and her attorney declined to comment for this story. The article also reports that the president and CEO of USA Gymnastics, Steve Penny, sought to keep a lid on the scandal once it broke. "Steve Penny was trying to control when I was going to be interviewed by the FBI," [two-time Olympian] Aly Raisman says. "He was trying to control every part of it. The biggest priority was to make sure I kept it quiet so they'd have a good Olympics. It's disgusting." Read Full Article
Other Noteworthy Articles and Series
Ex-C.I.A. Officer Suspected of Compromising Chinese Informants Is Arrested
New York Times
In the latestsignificant setbackfor America's intelligence services, aformer CIA agent has been arrested for allegedly providing China with the agency's most deeply held secrets, leading to the deaths of more than a dozen informants.The arrest of Jerry Lee comeseight months after theNew York Times broke the storyabout the security breach. GOP Lawmakers: Release 'Alarming' Memo on FISA Abuses
FoxNews
A classified memo circulating in Congress that reveals alleged United States government surveillance abuses is being described by Republican lawmakers as "shocking," "troubling" and "alarming," with one congressman likening the details to KGB activity in Russia. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz suggested its release would lead to major shakeups at the FBI and Department of Justice and involve two DOJ officials involved in the Russia collusion case, Rod Rosenstein and BruceOhr. House Internal Report Flags 'Nefarious' Activity in IT Affair
Daily Caller
House investigators concluded that Democratic information-tech aides led by Imran Awan made unauthorized access to congressional servers in 2016, allegedly accessing the data of members for whom they did not work, logging in as members of Congress themselves, and covering their tracks. Investigators said this behavior mirrored a "classic method for insiders toexfiltratedata from an organization" and they continued even after orders to stop. Aussie Complaints on Clinton Foundation Headed to FBI
PoliZette
An Australian investigative journalist says the FBI has asked him for information alleging corrupt practices concerning the Clinton Foundation. These include the claim that the foundation's HIV/AIDS Initiative used "deception" to receive a $25 million grant from Australia in 2006; also, that Bill Clinton signed a "memorandum of understanding" on behalf of the foundation even though he could not legally represent it because he lost his law license over the Monica Lewinsky affair. The story is especially provocative because it implicates Australian diplomat Alexander Downer - whose drunken conversation with Trump adviser George Papadopoulos, by some accounts, triggered the Russia collusion investigation. 'Frat House' Behavior Charges Shadow LA Times Publisher
NPR
While the Los Angeles Times has given prominent coverage to recent claims of sexual harassment, it has ignored the conduct of its own CEO and publisher, RossLevinsohn. He has taken an unpaid leave of absence over NPR's report of two sexual harassment lawsuitsbefore joining the newspaper. By his own sworn testimony,Levinsohnadmitted to rating the relative "hotness" of his female colleagues in office banter. In addition, aHollywood Reporter executive saidLevinsohntold himhewas leavingthe publication's lunch honoring fashion stylists because hedidn't want to be surrounded by gays — using a vulgar epithet for them, according to the executive. How DNA Testing Botched My Family's Heritage
Gizmodo
Genetic tests promise straight answers to ancient questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? Instead of scientific precision, they often provide a jumble of confusing results, as a reporter found when she sent spit samples to leading companies, includingAncestryDNA, 23andMe and National Geographic. The Encyclopedia of the Missing
Longreads
Meaghan Good is a 32-year-old Indiana woman who suffers from a range of mental and physical illnesses, including autism, bipolar disorder and insomnia. She is also one of the nation's premier experts on missingpersonscases, thanks to the website she runs out of her trailer, theCharley Project, which profiles approximately 9,500 cold cases. Your Boots Were Made for Tracking: Retail Floor Sensors
Associated Press
The next phase in data collection is right under your feet. Some retailers are exploring the use of floor sensors to track foot traffic - where customers go, where they linger. With data collected over time, the floor sensors can tell a retailer the best time to offer a coupon or change the display before the customer loses interest. If that kind of e-snooping makes you want to avoid the mall, be aware that the car you use to drive past the mall may be something of a Big Brother too, this time on wheels. | 
