LA28 chair Wasserman was asked to step down over the Epstein files, according to the LA Times
Officials in Los Angeles are urging Casey Wasserman to step down as the chief of LA2028 Olympics due to his past communication with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell over 20 years ago, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Recently released documents concerning the late financier and sex offender Flirtatious emails between Wasserman and Maxwell were shown by Jeffrey Epstein, dating back to 2003. Wasserman has refuted any claims of having a personal or business relationship with Epstein.
LA28 officials were not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters. Wasserman issued an apology on Sunday regarding his connection with Maxwell, clarifying that their relationship predated the revelations of her or Epstein’s criminal activities.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, State Senator Lena Gonzalez, and several city council members were reported to have urged Wasserman to resign on Tuesday. “His representation on the world stage diverts attention from our athletes and the significant effort required for preparation for 2028,” Hahn stated to the LA Times.
On Wednesday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry addressed questions regarding the leadership structure of LA 2028, clarifying that it was not within the IOC’s purview. This came in response to inquiries about Wasserman potentially being a liability for the organizing committee. “As we mentioned earlier, Casey released a statement,” Coventry stated during a press conference. “The IOC does not intend to engage with the structure of the OCOG (LA Games organizing committee) from its perspective.”
On Sunday, she remarked that any distraction just before the commencement of the Milano Cortina Olympics was “sad”.
The U.S. Justice Department has unveiled millions of documents revealing Epstein’s ties to notable individuals in politics, entertainment, and business.
In 2019, Epstein faced federal charges related to the sex trafficking of minors and subsequently died by suicide in a jail cell in Manhattan that same year.
