LA Council Urges LA28 Olympic Board to Investigate Wasserman's Epstein Ties

The Los Angeles City Council has taken a significant stance regarding Casey Wasserman's ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, unanimously approving a resolution urging the Olympic committee to investigate the LA2028 chief's associations.

“LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- The Los Angeles City Council Friday approved a resolution addressing concerns involving LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman, urging Olympic organizers to investigate his connections to Jeffrey Epstein”

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The measure, adopted in a 12-0 vote, expresses 'concern regarding the potential conflict between the Olympic movement's values and Casey Wasserman's association with the Epstein files' and calls for a 'thorough and transparent' examination of Wasserman's involvement.

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While largely symbolic and non-enforceable, the vote reflects growing unease within the host city about Wasserman's continued leadership role despite his documented connections to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The resolution comes amid mounting pressure from various quarters, including celebrities, politicians, and even the city's own mayor, Karen Bass, who publicly echoed concerns about Wasserman's suitability to lead the Olympic Games.

Casey Wasserman's connection to Epstein's circle became public through disclosures showing he flew on Epstein's jet and exchanged flirtatious emails with the jailed associate Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003.

These interactions, which occurred decades before Epstein and Maxwell's crimes became widely known, have resurfaced due to the release of Epstein-related documents by the U.S. Department of Justice.

BBC

Wasserman has defended his actions as occurring before he or the public were aware of Epstein and Maxwell's deplorable crimes, claiming his single interaction with Epstein was a humanitarian mission to Africa on Epstein's plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation.

The emails between Wasserman and Maxwell, revealed in the latest batch of Epstein documents, described as 'salacious,' have become central to the controversy surrounding his continued leadership of LA2028.

In response to the growing controversy, the LA28 executive committee conducted an independent investigation by hiring outside counsel O'Melveny & Myers LLP to review Wasserman's past interactions with Maxwell and Epstein.

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The investigation concluded that Wasserman's relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what had already been publicly documented.

LA28 stated that Wasserman fully cooperated with the review and emphasized that the events occurred long before the public awareness of Epstein and Maxwell's crimes.

Despite these findings, the committee had previously announced that Wasserman would remain in his post, a position they reiterated after the city council vote, stating their focus was on delivering 'a fiscally responsible, privately funded Games that protects taxpayers and benefits Los Angeles.'

The political and public backlash against Wasserman has been significant and widespread.

Beyond the city council resolution, the West Hollywood City Council also unanimously approved a similar measure calling for Wasserman's resignation, introduced by Council members John Erickson and Chelsea Lee Byers who conducted a news conference in February criticizing Wasserman's connection to Epstein.

NBC4 Los Angeles

Mayor Karen Bass added her voice to the growing chorus of concerns, expressing them during a television interview.

The pressure has extended to the business sphere as well, with an array of musicians and athletes represented by Wasserman's talent agency announcing they would be splitting with the agency.

This exodus of talent represents a tangible economic consequence of the controversy surrounding Wasserman's leadership position.

Wasserman has personally responded to the controversy by apologizing for his correspondence with Maxwell, emphasizing that it occurred long before her and Epstein's crimes came to light.

“LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- The Los Angeles City Council Friday approved a resolution addressing concerns involving LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman, urging Olympic organizers to investigate his connections to Jeffrey Epstein”

ABC7 Los Angeles

He has consistently denied having a personal or business relationship with Epstein beyond the single humanitarian flight.

ABC7 Los Angeles

In response to the mounting pressure and the impact on his business, Wasserman announced last month that he would sell his talent agency, which was publicly rebranded this week as The Team.

As the 51-year-old sports and entertainment executive continues to face scrutiny, he has maintained that he has not been accused of any wrongdoing, expressing regret for the exchanges from decades ago while seeking to move forward from the controversy that has cast a shadow over his leadership of the 2028 Olympic Games.