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Aly Raisman is “taking it one breath and moment at a time” after she gave anemotional testimonyto the Senate Judiciary Committee about thealleged mishandlingsof the FBI’s investigation into Larry Nassar’s abuse against female gymnasts.
On Monday, five days after she appeared at the Capitol Hill hearing, the six-time Olympic medalist, 27, spoke about the difficulties of trauma and recalling the sexual abuse she suffered as a teenager. “I’ve been trying to process and recover from testifying. Today has been the most difficult for me,” Raisman wrote onInstagramandTwitter, alongside a photo of her with her eyes closed and hands on her heart.
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In November 2017, Raisman publicly spoke out about former USA Gymnastics national team doctor Nassar’s abuse and in January 2018, she confronted Nassar face-to-face in court when she made a powerfulvictim impact statement. “Larry, you do realize now that we, this group of women you so heartlessly abused over such a long period of time, are now a force and you are nothing. The tables have turned, Larry. We have our voices, and we are not going anywhere,” she told him.
Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison after more than 150 women and girls accused him of sexual abuse over 20 years.
In her remarks, Raisman said the FBI made her feel “like my abuse didn’t count, that it wasn’t a big deal.” Asking for a “complete and full independent investigation” of the FBI, USAG and the USOPC, she explained: “Then from there, then we will know the answers of who should be held accountable.”
A day after her testimony, Raisman made several virtual appearances on morning shows and media outlets, also tellingNPRhow she was “definitely exhausted.”
During an interview withTodayon Sept. 16, she told co-hostsHoda KotbandSavannah Guthrieabout an unnamed FBI agent trivializing her past.
“The agent just kept diminishing my abuse and telling me that he didn’t feel like it was that big of a deal and maybe I should drop the case,” Raisman alleged.
“My question to [senators] is if they can help us and if they can get those investigations rolling for us because we’ve been asking for them for years,” Raisman said in herTodayinterview. “Why did this person get to retire? What did they do that the FBI felt was not okay that they had to let them go? Why did they get to slip out the back door like so many others have?”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
