Casey Wasserman confirmed that he will remain on board as the chairman of LA28 and its coordination the Los Angeles Olympics despite mounting calls to step down after it was revealed he had ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
During a media session for the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission’s seventh visit to L.A. on Thursday, Wasserman was asked if he ever thought about resigning and if he spoke with the city’s mayor Karen Bass since she called for him to leave his post in February.
Wasserman was brief in his reply and simply said “no and yes.”
Since being named in the U.S. Department of Justice files relating to Epstein and Maxwell, Wasserman has faced pressure to step down. According to the government document, Wasserman took a philanthropic trip to Africa aboard Epstein’s private jet in 2002 and exchanged flirtatious emails with Maxwell in 2003.
Maxwell was later implicated in connection with helping recruit victims in a sex-trafficking ring with Epstein and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Epstein committed suicide in 2019 in a New York jail as he was awaiting trial.
Wasserman was never implicated in any crimes and in January he apologized for his connection to Epstein and Maxwell. In February he announced he would sell his stake in the talent agency he founded in 2002.
But that same month, LA28 board members completed an inquiry into Wasserman and cleared him of any findings that would hinder his ability as chairman.
“We found Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented,” the executive 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.”
Bass disagreed and in an interview with CNN in shortly after the board decision, she suggested that he should not to continue in his role.
“The board made a decision. I think that was unfortunate,” Bass said in the interview. “I don’t support the decision. I do think that we need to look at the leadership. 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.”
Despite the scrutiny, Wasserman has endured and in late February, LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover also vouched for him and stood by the board’s decision.
“The board has taken their position — they support him and I support him,” Hoover said. “We’ve got a great leadership team here at LA28. Just look at the results.”
At Thursday’s press conference, Wasserman made it clear that he has regular contact with Bass as the logistics and planning of the 2028 Games pushes ahead.
“I talk to the mayor weekly, if not more frequently, and our conversations are between us,” he said. “They continue to be thoughtful and productive with a completely shared vision on delivering the greatest Games for the city and our community.”
