Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling for Casey Wasserman to relinquish his role as chairman of the committee overseeing the 2028 Olympic Games in light of newly publicized records detailing his past interactions with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
The controversy stems from Justice Department files released late last month that contained flirtatious email exchanges from more than 20 years ago between Wasserman and Maxwell, the longtime associate and former girlfriend of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, according to Newsmax.
Wasserman has firmly denied that he ever had a personal or business relationship with Epstein, and he has previously expressed regret over his association with Maxwell, stressing that their acquaintance predated any public knowledge of her or Epsteins criminal behavior.
Despite the uproar, the LA28 board announced last week that Wasserman would remain in his post after an outside legal review concluded that his ties to Epstein and Maxwell did not extend beyond what had already been disclosed.
Bass, a Democrat, broke with the LA28 boards decision during an interview with CNN, saying plainly, "My opinion is that he should step down." She immediately acknowledged that her stance is not shared by the Olympic organizing body, adding, "That's not the opinion of the board."
The boards review determined that roughly 23 years ago, before Epstein and Maxwells crimes were widely known, Wasserman and his then-wife traveled on a humanitarian mission to Africa aboard Epsteins private jet at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation.
LA28 said this was Wassermans only direct interaction with Epstein and that the subsequently disclosed emails with Maxwell followed shortly thereafter, while the board simultaneously lauded Wassermans "strong leadership" in guiding LA28 over the past decade.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) signaled on Tuesday that while the ultimate decision about Wassermans future rests with the Los Angeles Games board, the matter remains under active discussion. "This obviously is a matter for the board of LA28, still, at this stage," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters at a press conference in Milan.
Adams underscored that an independent law firm had already scrutinized Wassermans past contacts with Epstein and Maxwell, saying, "As you know an independent law firm looked into it and it's up to the board to draw their own conclusions." LA28 confirmed that it had retained outside counsel to conduct the review and that Wasserman fully cooperated with the inquiry.
Pressed further on whether the IOC might intervene, Adams declined to elaborate, signaling that the organization would not get ahead of the LA28 boards deliberations. "I understand there are many conversations happening at this moment but I will not make any further comment," he said.
Bass, for her part, conceded that she lacks the authority to remove Wasserman, emphasizing that her primary responsibility is ensuring the city is ready to host the Games. "The board made a decision," she said, making clear that she believes the panel erred.
"I think that decision was unfortunate, I don't support the decision. I do think that we need to look at the leadership," Bass continued, suggesting that the reputational cloud surrounding Wasserman could undermine public confidence in the event. "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, drawing a distinction between her operational duties and the boards governance choices.
Bass also condemned the underlying conduct at the heart of the Epstein-Maxwell scandal, stressing her long-standing work on related issues. "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," she said.
The mayors comments highlight a broader concern that elite institutions, from Hollywood to global sports bodies, have often been slow or reluctant to sever ties with figures linked to Epsteins network.
For many Americans, particularly conservatives who have long criticized the cultural and political establishments coziness with powerful donors and celebrities, the Wasserman episode reinforces suspicions that accountability is unevenly applied when it comes to well-connected insiders.
Wassermans defenders point to the findings of the independent review and the timeline of events, arguing that a single flight on a humanitarian mission and a series of emails from decades ago do not amount to complicity in Epsteins crimes. His critics counter that the Olympic movement, already plagued by corruption scandals and political controversies, cannot afford even the appearance of moral compromise as it prepares for a high-profile Games on U.S. soil.
The boards praise of Wassermans "strong leadership" underscores the tension between continuity and credibility, as organizers weigh his experience and fundraising clout against the political and ethical risks of keeping him in place. For conservatives who prioritize clear moral standards and transparency in public institutions, the question is less about legal liability and more about whether the Olympic brand should be entrusted to anyone with documented tieshowever limitedto a network of sexual exploitation.
Adding to the pressure, The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Wasserman is moving to sell his talent and marketing agency, telling employees he believed he had "become a distraction" to its operations and had initiated the process of offloading the company.
That move suggests Wasserman recognizes the growing toll of the controversy, even as the LA28 board and the IOC publicly insist that formal reviews have cleared him of deeper entanglements.
As Los Angeles races toward 2028, the debate over Wassermans role is likely to intensify, especially if further details from the Epstein files emerge or if public outrage continues to build. For now, the citys mayor is signaling that while she will do everything in her power to deliver "the best Olympics that has ever happened in Olympic history," she remains unconvinced that the current leadership arrangement best serves that goalor the publics trust.
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