Abuse victim yells ‘Shame!’ at former USAG exec after he repeatedly pleads the fifth
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:
WATCH: Former @USAGym President Steve Penny invokes his Fifth Amendment rights before @senatecommerce and is then excused from the hearing.
Full video here: https://t.co/DWgKTTVeaZ pic.twitter.com/FkDeZgnTYD
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 5, 2018
On his way out, former gymnast and abuse victim Amy Moran (formerly Compton) stood up in the audience and yelled “shame!”
As former USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny leaves the Senate hearing after pleading the Fifth six times, former gymnast Amy Compton, herself a victim of abuse, yells “Shame!” pic.twitter.com/dNqu9WTZlo
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) June 5, 2018
Ahead of his appearance, reporters weren’t expecting Penny to answer questions:
Former USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny sitting in the audience, expected to plead the Fifth and leave hearing. pic.twitter.com/nFN00pBNcY
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) June 5, 2018
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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