Karen Bass calls on Casey Wasserman to resign from LA28 amid emails with Ghislaine Maxwell
Bass calls on Casey Wasserman to resign
Mayor Karen Bass, along with several other local elected leaders, are calling on Wasserman to resign as chair of LA28.
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman, chairman of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to step down from his position due to salacious emails he exchanged years ago with Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
What they're saying:
Bass, previously declined for weeks to provide an opinion or take a position on the matter. During an interview with CNN, the mayor said while she can't fire him from the committee, her opinion is that he should step down.
"The board made a decision. I think that was unfortunate. I don't support the decision. I do think that we need to look at the leadership," Bass said. "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."
Calls for resignation
On Feb. 3, three Los Angeles City Council members and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called on Wasserman to resign over a string of racy emails with Maxwell, who's been convicted of sex trafficking for her role in a widespread sexual abuse scandal involving the late Epstein.
"Having him represent us on the world stage distracts focus from our athletes and the enormous efforts needed to prepare for 2028," Hahn told the Los Angeles Times.
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City Council members Hugo Soto-Martínez, Monica Rodriguez, and Imelda Padilla, as well as City Controller Kenneth Mejia, echoed her sentiments.
LA28 backs Wasserman
The other side:
Despite these calls for Wasserman's resignation, the LA28 Executive Committee Board backed Wasserman as chair, citing an independent investigation that examined his past interactions with Maxwell.
The Board, which is responsible for planning the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, said in a statement that the organization takes allegations of misconduct seriously, and is committed to thoroughly reviewing any concerns related to the organization's leadership.
LA28 hired outside counsel O'Melveny & Myers LLP to conduct a review of Wasserman's past interactions with Maxwell and Epstein. The board said Wasserman fully cooperated with the review.
"We found Mr. Wasserman's relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented," the board said in a statement.
LA28 backs Casey Wasserman over Epstein investigation
Despite calls for his resignation, the LA28 Executive Committee Board Wednesday supported Casey Wasserman to continue in his role as chair. (February 11, 2026 )
Wasserman's ties with Ghislaine Maxwell
"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 board said in its statement.
Wasserman has apologized for his correspondence with Maxwell, and reiterated it happened long before her and Epstein's crimes came to light. He's also denied having a personal or business relationship with Epstein.
Epstein documents contained his name
Dig deeper:
Wasserman's name surfaced when the latest batch of Epstein documents were made public Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of its investigation into Epstein, who died in a jail cell in August 2019 of a reported suicide as he awaited trial on federal charges.
The former financier was accused of procuring underage girls to perform sexual favors for various highly influential millionaires and billionaires at a private island.
The documents revealed multiple salacious email exchanges between Wasserman and Maxwell, Epstein's associate who was convicted in 2021 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy for helping Epstein procure girls and young women.
In a statement to various media outlets, Wasserman said, `'As is well documented, I went on a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane. I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them.
The newly released emails are from 2003. They feature flirtatious remarks from both parties, including Wasserman writing that he wanted to see Maxwell in a "tight leather outfit," and Maxwell offering to give him a massage that can "drive a man wild."
Who is Casey Wasserman
The 51-year-old Wasserman is the founder and CEO of Wasserman, a sports marketing and talent agency, and grandson of legendary Hollywood agent Lew Wasserman.
Wasserman announced he planned to sell his sports marketing and talent agency amid the ongoing fallout.
The Source: Information for this story came from City News Service.