Angelina Jolie 'in awe' of U.S. gymnasts who testified before Congress
Angelina Jolie has praised the U.S. gymnasts who testified about the abuse they suffered at the hands of their former team doctor Larry Nassar before the Senate on Wednesday.
The 46-year-old posted a photo on Instagram with gymnasts Kaylee Lorincz, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Jessica Howard, and Maggie Nichols, who were among many women - including gymnast Simone Biles - who testified before the Senate on Wednesday. The session focused on the Inspector General's report on how the FBI handled their investigation into Nassar, who is serving a life sentence in jail for sexually abusing young women and girls.
"I was honored to meet with some of the brave US gymnasts who appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday," the Maleficent actress wrote in the caption. "I'm in awe of their courage and commitment to preventing future failures to investigate abuse.
"As Aly Raisman said in her testimony, 'Over 100 victims could have been spared the abuse. All we needed was one adult to do the right thing.' Sending support and respect to them, and to all who are reliving this trauma so that system reforms can occur."
Jolie then referred to her work on Capitol Hill this week, where she has been meeting with politicians about the status of the Violence Against Women Act. She noted that her specific goals in meeting with them are to reauthorise the act and enact FBI reforms "including better protections for abused children, non-biased forensic evidence collection, trauma care, and judicial training."
During her trip to Washington, the actress also met with Capitol police offers who defended the building during the 6 January insurrection. NBC News journalist Julie Tsirkin shared the moment on Twitter, writing, "Angelina Jolie greeted several officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, including Harry Dunn. She thanked him for his service."
