Three Los Angeles City Council members and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn were among the elected officials Tuesday calling on LA 2028 Olympics committee chair Casey Wasserman to resign over a string of racy emails with Ghislaine Maxwell, who’s been convicted of sex trafficking for her role in a widespread sexual abuse scandal involving the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Hahn, who is among the Los Angeles County and city officials working with LA28, the organizing committee for the Games, told the Los Angeles Times Tuesday that Wasserman needs to step down.
“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 Times.
Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez issued a statement Tuesday echoing Hahn’s sentiments.
“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-Martinez said in a 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,” Soto-Martinez added.
City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez in a statement said the Olympics represent an opportunity and requires organizers to be stewards of the games.
“The failure to complete a robust human rights plan, coupled with the revelations from the newly released Epstein files, makes clear that no one associated with Epstein and his associates can provide credible leadership in the planning of these games, which now includes Casey Wasserman,” Rodriguez said in her statement.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Imelda Padilla said in statement that “the concerns surrounding Casey Wasserman are serious and part of a troubling pattern that cannot be ignored. In Council District 6, we confront the realities of human trafficking and exploitation every day, and that work demands leadership held to the highest ethical standards.
“At this point, it would be a distraction for Mr. Wasserman to continue in his role. For the integrity of the work and public trust, it is time for him to step aside.”
On social media, City Controller Kenneth Mejia wrote that “Los Angeles cannot trust our financial future to someone connected with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, also called on Wasserman to resign.
Los Angeles is scheduled to host the most Olympic events, with Long Beach hosting the second most.
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, “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light. I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. 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.”
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.
He is in Milan, Italy, this week with the LA28 delegation for the Winter Olympics.