The mayor of Los Angeles is publicly demanding that the leader of the 2028 Olympic Games organizing committee step down after revelations about his past communications with Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein.
Mayor Karen Bass stated Monday that Casey Wasserman should resign from his role as chairman of LA28, the committee responsible for planning the upcoming Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The controversy stems from Justice Department documents released in late January that revealed flirtatious email correspondence between Wasserman and Maxwell from over twenty years ago. Maxwell was the longtime companion of Jeffrey Epstein, both of whom were later convicted on sex trafficking charges.
While Wasserman has stated he never maintained personal or professional ties with Epstein, he has publicly expressed regret for his connection to Maxwell, emphasizing that their association occurred years before either individual’s criminal activities became known.
Last week, the LA28 board conducted an investigation and determined that Wasserman should remain in his leadership position. Their review concluded that his connections to Epstein and Maxwell were limited to what had already been made public.
Speaking to CNN, Bass expressed her disagreement with this decision. “My opinion is that he should step down,” the mayor stated. “That’s not the opinion of the board.”
According to the board’s findings, Wasserman’s involvement with these individuals dates back 23 years, when he and his former spouse participated in a humanitarian trip to Africa. They traveled on Epstein’s aircraft at the request of the Clinton Foundation, during a time when neither Wasserman nor the general public were aware of any criminal conduct.
LA28 officials indicated this African mission represented Wasserman’s only direct interaction with Epstein, and the email exchanges with Maxwell occurred shortly afterward.
The organizing committee’s board commended Wasserman for his “strong leadership” during his decade-long tenure with LA28.
Bass acknowledged she lacks the authority to remove Wasserman from his position, noting her primary responsibility involves ensuring Los Angeles is ready to host the Games.
“The board made a decision,” Bass explained. “I think that decision was unfortunate, I don’t support the decision. I do think that we need to look at the leadership.”
Despite her concerns about the leadership situation, the mayor emphasized her commitment to the Olympic preparation process.
“However, my job as mayor of Los Angeles is to make sure that our city is completely prepared to have the best Olympics that has ever happened in Olympic history,” she said. “So my focus is a little different, but the behavior of Maxwell, what they were involved in is abhorrent, and it’s an issue that I’ve worked on for a long time.”
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Wasserman has begun the process of selling his talent and marketing company. He reportedly informed his employees that he felt he had “become a distraction” to the business and decided to move forward with the sale.
