Speaking to HuffPost, two former FBI agents said the bureau's "misogynist culture" was responsible for the misconduct in the case of disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
"I was not surprised by the way the FBI handled Nassar," former agent Jane Turner said. "That's the FBI's culture."
"The culture there is like the culture in most law enforcement: sexism, sexual harassment ― it's all there," Turner said. "So, when you're dealing with children or sexual assault matters, the culture in the bureau is that it does not fall into any area that is considered worthy of working."
According to former agent Mike German, claims that the FBI is an "old boys club" are true.
"When you look at sex crimes, that's not necessarily something that the average white male worries about as far as priorities," he said.
"Law enforcement in the United States … it's about protecting privilege, protecting power structure," German said. "So it's not surprising to me that the special agent in charge in this situation concluded this wasn't a serious crime that needed investigation, but rather a job opportunity."
German went on to say that he doesn't expect there to be any accountability.
"It's very rare for agents to be prosecuted," said German, adding that he's unaware of any case where an agent was charged for misconduct. "That the FBI fired the one supervisor on the eve of the congressional hearing was actually more unusual. Typically these managers are not even punished."