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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has called on Los Angeles 2028 Olympics chief Casey Wasserman to resign over the fallout from his name appearing in Jeffrey Epstein’s files last month.
Bass is the latest official to call out Wasserman, in an interview with CNN. She said she was unable to fire him, but thought he should “resign.”
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks at the NBA Cares Legacy Project dedication at the Weingart YMCA on February 12, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“The board made a decision,” she said. “I think this decision was unfortunate. I do not support this decision. I think we need to look to the leadership. However, my job as mayor of Los Angeles is to make sure that our city is completely prepared to host the best Olympic Games that has ever been held in Olympic history.”
The Justice Department’s release of documents related to Epstein showed that Wasserman had a flirtatious exchange with Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of Epstein. He has since announced that he will sell his talent agency because some clients have already announced their departure.
Wasserman’s decision to sell the agency came after the LA28 board’s executive committee met to discuss Wasserman’s appearance in the Epstein files. The committee said so, and an outside law firm conducted a review of Wasserman’s interactions with Epstein and Maxwell with Wasserman’s full cooperation.
OLYMPICS CHIEF RESPONDS AFTER EMAILS WITH GHISLAINE MAXWELL EMERGE IN EPSTEIN FILES
LA28 Chairman and President Casey Wasserman during the press conference celebrating the 1,000 day countdown to LA28 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City on Monday, October 20, 2025. (Doug Hoke/Oklahoman Network/USA TODAY via Imagn Images)
“We found that Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented,” the committee said in a statement, adding that Wasserman “should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful Games.”
Wasserman previously said he flew a humanitarian mission to Africa aboard Epstein’s private plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation in 2002. He said in a memo to staff that his interactions with Maxwell and Epstein were limited and that he regretted the emails.
“It took years before their criminal conduct came to light and, in its entirety, consisted of a humanitarian trip to Africa and a handful of emails that I deeply regret sending. And I am heartbroken that my brief contact with them 23 years ago has caused you, this company and its customers so much difficulty over the past few days and weeks,” the memo said.
“I never had a personal or professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,” Wasserman said in an earlier statement. “As is well documented, I took a humanitarian trip as part of a Clinton Foundation delegation in 2002 aboard the Epstein plane. I am terribly sorry for having had any association with either.”
United States women’s national soccer team legend Abby Wambach has announced she is leaving the agency. Chappell Roan also left the agency.
The Justice Department released a trove of Epstein documents on December 19 after President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
In the email exchanges, Wasserman told Maxwell: “I think about you all the time. So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” Another exchange showed Maxwell asking Wasserman if there would be enough fog during a future visit “so you could float naked on the beach and no one could see you unless they were up close?” Wasserman replied, “or something like that.”
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Wasserman has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
