LA Olympics leader urged to resign

Mayor Calls for Olympic Committee Chair’s Resignation

Last month, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged Casey Wasserman, the Chair of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Committee, to step down. This follow-up came in the wake of his name being found in documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein.

In a CNN interview, Bass stated that while she lacked the authority to fire Wasserman, she felt he should “resign.” It’s a challenging position, for sure. She noted that she disagreed with the board’s recent decisions but emphasized her primary focus was preparing the city for what she hopes will be a memorable Olympic event.

Documents made public by the Justice Department revealed Wasserman’s casual interactions with Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of Epstein. In light of this, he announced his plan to sell his talent agency after some clients indicated they would be leaving.

This decision to sell came after discussions within the LA28 board’s executive committee regarding Wasserman’s connection to Epstein. They reported that both their committee and an external law firm had looked into the matter, which Wasserman fully supported.

Despite the investigation, the committee concluded that Wasserman’s ties to Epstein and Maxwell did not extend beyond what’s already known, and suggested he should continue leading the efforts for the LA28 games.

Wasserman previously acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s private plane back in 2002 as part of a humanitarian mission organized by the Clinton Foundation. He later expressed regret over the emails he exchanged with Maxwell and Epstein.

In a memo to staff, he conveyed his sorrow regarding the situation, mentioning that his interactions were limited, and took full responsibility for any distress this has caused his colleagues and clients.

Notably, Abby Wambach, the former U.S. women’s national soccer team star, has recently resigned from the agency. Other notable figures, like Chapel Lawn, have also distanced themselves in light of the events.

Wasserman’s earlier emails to Maxwell included flirtatious exchanges, with one where he expressed regular thoughts of her, and another where she teased him about visiting in a revealing outfit. These snippets, while certainly personal, do not imply any formal wrongdoing on his part so far.