LA leaders continue to demand Wasserman step down from the 2028 Olympics

The Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation is the last group of leaders to demand that Casey Wasserman step down from his post as chairman of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games happening in L.A. 

This comes after Wasserman’s name appeared in the last of the Department of Justice's release of the ongoing Epstein files. 

The documents show Wasserman exchanged flirtatious emails in 2003 with Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in helping sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse his victims, many of whom were children. 

“The Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation calls upon Casey Wasserman to step down as chair of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor (D - Inglewood) and chair of the delegation. “Mr. Wasserman’s past personal conduct has become a distraction and LA28’s leadership must be singularly focused on ensuring safe and successful games for athletes, spectators and visitors to L.A. from around the world.”

In the emails, Wasserman, who was then 29 and married, told Maxwell he thought about her “all the time.” 

The flirtatious email exchange continued with Wasserman's comments about wanting to see Maxwell in a "tight leather outfit" and Maxwell offering him a "massage" that she said “can drive a man crazy.” 

Earlier, Wasserman admitted to being associated with Maxwell but denied having any ties with Epstein. 

“I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell, which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” he said. “I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein … I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them.”

When asked about what he thought about Wasserman’s name being released in the files, Governor Gavin Newsom refused to make any statement. “Based on the information that has been made public, I want to have the opportunity to dialogue with him directly before I answer that question,” he told reporters at a press conference. 

Newsom said he has reached out to Wasserman’s team and was looking “forward to talking with him.” 

More locally, other leaders in office have called for his resignation, including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and five of the 15-member L.A. City Council, as well as two of the five representatives on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. 

Last Monday, Bass, who has previously declined for weeks to provide a comment on Wasserman, said in a CNN interview that even as mayor she could not fire him from the LA28 board committee but said that her “opinion is that he should step down."

"That's not the opinion of the board," Bass added.

Bass was referring to the LA28, 35-member committee that complemented Wasserman’s leadership and defended his position as chair after they stated that they had conducted a review with outside counsel regarding concerns over the emails. 

The committee said they found that Wasserman's relationship with Epstein and Maxwell “did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented.” 

“Twenty-three years ago, before Mr. Wasserman or the public knew of Epstein and Maxwell’s deplorable crimes, Mr. Wasserman and his then-wife flew on a humanitarian mission to Africa on Epstein’s plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation. This was his single interaction with Epstein. Shortly after, he traded the publicly known emails with Maxwell,” the committee said in a statement. “The Executive Committee of the Board has determined that based on these facts, as well as the strong leadership he has exhibited over the past ten years, Mr. Wasserman should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful Games."

Among the 35 members on the LA28 board are Latinos in L.A., including Beatriz Acevedo, an entrepreneur who is the founder of Suma, a wealth-building digital platform for Latinos and a member of the Latino Community Foundation; actress Jessica Alba; Jose E. Feliciano, an investor and cofounder of Clearlake Capital; and Pete Rodriguez, a labor union leader and member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. 

Some of the local leaders who initially demanded Wasserman's resignation were L.A. council members Monica Rodriguez (CD-7) and Hugo Soto-Martínez (CD-13). 

"At the same time as Ghislaine Maxwell was orchestrating one of the most notorious sex-trafficking operations in our country’s history, she was allegedly romantically involved with the person now serving as chair of LA28," Soto-Martínez said in a February 3 statement. “Casey Wasserman should step aside immediately. Anything less is a distraction and undermines efforts to make sure the Games truly reflect the values of a city that is for everyone.” 

On February 11, Rodriguez denounced the email exchange as a serious concern about accountability at the highest levels of LA28.

“The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games belong to the people of Los Angeles. As a host city, we have a responsibility to ensure that those entrusted with leading this global event reflect the highest ethical standard,” she said.