Pressure is mounting on Casey Wasserman, the head of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organising team, after the city's mayor called on him to resign over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. Mayor Karen Bass told CNN late on Monday that "my opinion is that he should step down", despite Wasserman receiving support from the LA28 organising board last week to remain in his role.
The controversy has been a distraction for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since Wasserman's flirtatious emails from 2003 with Maxwell were published in a release of US government files days before the Milano Cortina Winter Games opened. The IOC had previously deflected questions, stating it was a matter for the LA28 board, but shifted its language slightly on Tuesday. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said: "I understand there are many conversations happening at this moment but I will not make any further comment. This is obviously a matter for the board of LA28 still at this stage."
Mayor Bass noted that she "cannot fire him" but publicly stated her view that he should leave. Scrutiny has intensified since the entertainment and sports agency Wasserman founded lost clients, including pop star Chappell Roan and former soccer star Abby Wambach, following the release of the emails. Wasserman is now in the process of selling the agency.
The LA Olympics board last week backed Wasserman based on a review by outside legal counsel of his contacts with Epstein and Maxwell. However, Bass called the decision "unfortunate" and said she did not support it. She emphasised her role as mayor to ensure Los Angeles is fully prepared for the 2028 Games, which also rely on support from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Wasserman has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and Maxwell. In a statement before travelling to Milan, he said: "I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell", which was "long before her horrific crimes came to light". Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and abuse of minors, while Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
