by Ken Silva at Headline USA
The FBI employees who received tips from the public were not constrained to take mandatory and specific steps during their assessment of the tips…’
A group of Jeffrey Epstein victims is suing the FBI for allowing his sex-trafficking network to operate with impunity—but the bureau filed a motion to dismiss last week, arguing that it had the discretion to do so.
The FBI’s Feb. 5 motion to dismiss is in response to 17 anonymous Epstein victims, as well as two that are named: Sandra Ward and Laura Newman. Those victims allege that the FBI “failed to take appropriate action in light of complaints made regarding Epstein and subsequently botched and covered up investigations for years.”
The FBI’s motion to dismiss doesn’t contest the victims’ core allegation, but it argues that it had the legal discretion to decide whether to let Epstein operate his sex-trafficking ring.
“Plaintiffs point to no non-discretionary duty that governed the FBI’s decision making. Absent such a mandatory directive, the FBI maintains discretion in how to follow-up on tips of criminal conduct. Courts have made it clear that decisions by FBI employees on whether to investigate and follow-up on information they received from the public are ones in which the FBI is afforded broad discretion,” the Justice Department argued in the motion to dismiss…
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