Zürcher Nachrichten - LA officials call for Olympic chief to resign over Epstein file emails

Wasserman, chairman of the organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, apologized on Saturday after his 2003 emails with Ghislaine Maxwell surfaced in the millions of pages of documents released by the US Justice Department on Friday.

"I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light," Wasserman said in a statement about his correspondence with Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking underage girls for Epstein.

The newly surfaced emails included one message where Wasserman asked to see Maxwell in a "tight leather outfit." In another, Maxwell offered a massage that could "drive a man wild."

Wasserman, 51, who was married at the time of his flirtations with Maxwell, has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the Epstein scandal, which has dogged President Donald Trump's administration.

Trump moved in the same social circles as the disgraced financier and his right-wing base has long been obsessed with the belief that Epstein oversaw a sex trafficking ring for the world's elite.

With the link, however tenuous, to Epstein, local officials in Los Angeles have called on Wasserman to step down from his 2028 Olympics post.

"Having (Wasserman) represent us on the world stage distracts focus from our athletes and the enormous efforts needed to prepare for 2028," Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn told The Los Angeles Times.

Hugo Soto-Martinez, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, also called on Wasserman to resign.

"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."

In a post on social media, Los Angeles City financial controller Kenneth Mejia added: "Los Angeles cannot trust our financial future to someone connected with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

"LA 2028 Olympics Committee Chair Casey Wasserman must take accountability and resign."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Wednesday declined to be drawn into the controversy, saying in a statement that questions regarding the leadership of the Olympic organizing committee should be determined by the board of LA28.

In his statement on Saturday, Wasserman emphasized that he "never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein."

Maxwell was convicted of helping Epstein recruit, groom, and sexually abuse girls, some as young as 14, from between 1994 and around 2004.

Epstein took his own life in 2019 while in prison awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell was arrested and charged for her crimes in 2020.

R.Bernasconi--NZN