LA Mayor Bass says LA28 chief Wasserman should step down over Epstein-era ties

Mayor Karen Bass said Casey Wasserman should step down over published emails linking him to Ghislaine Maxwell, while the LA28 board has previously backed him after an outside review.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass publicly urged Casey Wasserman to step down as head of the LA28 organizing committee, citing his past correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell. The issue surfaced after emails from 2003 were published in U.S. government files around the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Wasserman has said he regrets the correspondence and has not been accused of wrongdoing. The LA28 board conducted a review with outside legal counsel and voted to keep him in place. What officials reported: - Mayor Karen Bass said she believes Wasserman should step down as head of the LA28 organizing committee. - The LA28 board reviewed his contacts with Ghislaine Maxwell through outside counsel and voted to retain him. - The International Olympic Committee deferred to the LA28 board and gave limited public comment; further steps were not specified. Summary: Mayor Bass's public call increases political pressure despite the LA28 board's prior decision to keep Wasserman after an outside review. Undetermined at this time.