By Joshua Arnold

Three-quarters of the child sexual abuse incidents encountered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are not reported in a timely manner, according to a report released this month by the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

The OIG “found no evidence that FBI employees complied with mandatory reporting requirements” to law enforcement in 47% of incidents it reviewed or to social service agencies in 50% of incidents. When they did report child sex crimes, FBI employees only did so within 24 hours for 43% of reports, and only 17% of reports were fully documented.

The FBI responded by offering excuses about how they were too busy to do a better job protecting children. Meanwhile, the DOJ formed a “Reproductive Rights Task Force” (RRTF) in July 2022 after the Dobbs decision, which as of December 2023 had brought 24 cases against 55 pro-life activists under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

In an imperfect world with limited resources, neither a person nor a government agency can succeed equally well at everything, but they can prioritize what’s most important to them. The FBI has done so.

The OIG report follows up on the FBI’s progress after a July 2021 report found serious failures in the FBI handling of allegations against former U.S. women’s gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. According to that report, the FBI’s dismissive attitude toward allegations led to Nassar abusing 70 more women before his arrest.

“All FBI personnel are considered mandatory reporters, meaning that they must report suspected child abuse to the SLTT [state, local, tribal, or territorial] law enforcement agency and social services agency,” stated the OIG. FBI policy requires employees to report the abuse “within 24 hours of learning the facts.” Yet, after shining a bright spotlight on this problem only two years ago, the OIG’s latest check-up “identified substantial non-compliance” with regulations and requirements that remains ongoing.

The FBI opened 3,925 cases involving “a hands-on sex offense against a child or similar offense” between October 1, 2021 and February 26, 2023. It defines a “hands-on” sex offense as one “that includes physical sexual contact.” The OIG audited 179 of those cases (4.5%), as well as 48 additional complaints and 100 leads, for a total of 327 incidents, which it selected randomly. The OIG found that the FBI reported the sex offense to a local law enforcement agency only 53% of the time. Of the incidents that were reported, the FBI reported 43% in a timely manner (23% of the total), and fully documented the interaction only 17% (9% of the total).

Of the 327 incidents it reviewed, the OIG flagged 42 incidents (13%) for the FBI’s immediate attention. In one case, “the FBI received an allegation involving hands-on abuse by a registered sex offender” but failed to “take appropriate investigative action for over one year,” during which time “the subject allegedly victimized at least one additional minor for a period of approximately 15 months.”

The FBI tried to downplay the revelation. A senior official, speaking anonymously, told reporters that a “vast majority of work” had been handled appropriately. If FBI leaders think that 9% of fully-documented reports comprise a “vast majority,” then that might be part of the problem. Nine percent is how many Iowans voted against incumbent president Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic caucuses. Nine percent of your fingers is less than one finger.

That is a joke, of course. It is not credible to suggest that the anonymous FBI official believed his own “vast majority” claim. It was proven false beforehand by the DOJ’s own watchdog agency. Even making the claim was an insult to the intelligence of American citizens. The FBI have a serious problem, and rather than confronting it they are attempting to brazen their way out as usual.

Perhaps recognizing the implausibility of the “vast majority” claim, the official cited a list of complaints to excuse the bureau’s poor performance. As summarized in the New York Post, all the claims boil down to a lack of manpower and resources: “the ‘overwhelming’ burden on agents tasked with investigating crimes against children given the conduct involved, an influx in tips flooding in to law enforcement, increased use of encrypted technology to conceal the offenses, and budget cuts.” The overwhelming burden could be distributed across more shoulders; more staff could cover leads and break encryption more quickly; budget cuts correlate directly to manpower.

Raise a lament, ye citizens, for those overworked and underappreciated public servants at the FBI. When they lack the staff to perform even such “a solemn duty” as “ensuring the safety and security of children” to “the highest standards,” as they committed to do in a recent statement, when will the FBI find the time for their more interesting and glamorous assignments, like influencing elections and investigating political opponents?

Wait, what’s that you say? They are doing all those other things? Indeed, they are! During the Biden-Harris administration, the FBI has investigated parents engaged in their child’s education as potential terrorists, traditional Catholics as “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists,” and pro-life protestors in front of abortion businesses. They raided the home of former president and current political opponent Donald Trump. They scoured the country to forcibly arrest anyone connected with the J6 mob in the Capitol to clap them behind bars for a decade or more.

But tip off local law enforcement about child sexual abuse? Eh, maybe, maybe not, maybe next week. Priorities are priorities after all.

This is not to say that all FBI employees are evil or politically biased. There are many hard, honest workers who genuinely seek to make a difference for good. No, problems relating to mismanagement, misallocation, and mis-training of staff devolve on the leadership of an organization. Senior FBI officials have made the decision to prioritize the pursuit of pro-life activists, parents, and political opponents.

America’s most powerful law enforcement agency may think it’s all fun and political games, but, just like in a divorce, it’s the children who suffer most.

Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand.