No Halt To State Investigation Of Assaults Involving MSU
Reports surfaced earlier this week that Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel was suspending the department’s criminal investigation into Michigan State University’s handling of complaints against serial sexual abuser Larry Nassar. Nesell is now saying that is not quite right. Nessel is using the term “inadvertently misleading.” In a written statement, Nessel says the investigation is ongoing. The confusion about the status of the investigation surrounds a media briefing with the Attorney General’s Communications Director. The communications director told reporters early in the week that investigators wanted the university to waive attorney-client privilege on more than 6,000 documents, and that they hope to interview former interim president and former Governor John Engler, who took over following Simon’s resignation. Without those actions, reporters were left to conclude the case was not just stalled, but stopped. Nessel is emphasizing that her office is “at an impasse” with MSU over the documents, but her office will push all the harder to get to the bottom of the case. The school's governing board infuriated Nassar victims this year after dropping a promised independent review of sex assaults committed by Nassar, a former campus sports physician who also worked for USA Gymnastics.
The Associated Press reports as recently as last week, Rachael Denhollander, a former MSU gymnast, and the first woman to go public with accusations against Nassar, said the documents may contain important information and urged Michigan State to release the documents immediately.