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Abuse victim yells ‘Shame!’ at former USAG exec after he repeatedly pleads the fifth

Steve Penny, former president of USA Gymnastics, invoked his 5th amendment right to not answer questions during testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee. (Reuters)
Steve Penny, former president of USA Gymnastics, invoked his 5th amendment right to not answer questions during testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee. (Reuters)

Representatives from USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University testified in a United States Senate subcommittee hearing Tuesday afternoon as part of the ongoing investigation into what allowed Larry Nassar to perpetuate his abuse of athletes, and the culture of abuse in Olympic sports at large.

Former USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny appeared at the hearing, and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights in response to every question he faced. After five questions, chair committee Sen. Jerry Moran asked Penny if he would would continue to plead the fifth on ever question; Penny said that he would, and Moran excused him from the hearing.

View the interaction in full below:

On his way out, former gymnast and abuse victim Amy Moran (formerly Compton) stood up in the audience and yelled “shame!”

Ahead of his appearance, reporters weren’t expecting Penny to answer questions:

Moran spoke out against Penny long before the Nassar case broke; she posted the following on Facebook in 2012:

Penny, who is named as a defendant in a number of gymnasts’ lawsuits, revealed under oath last year that his organization rarely followed up on abuse allegations out of fear of damaging a coach’s reputation if false, and out of understanding that there was not a duty to report abuse if USA Gymnastics was a third party in the case.

He resigned from his position in March 2017.

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