Calls grow for LA28 chair Casey Wasserman to resign over emails with Ghislaine Maxwell

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Pressure is mounting on LA28 Olympics Committee Chair Casey Wasserman to step down after newly released files from the Justice Department revealed email exchanges between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell dating back to 2003.

Three Los Angeles city councilmembers, two county supervisors, and a state senator are among those now urging Wasserman to resign.

His name appeared several times in the latest batch of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein.

The emails were exchanged between Wasserman and Maxwell at a time when Maxwell was trafficking young women.

In the messages, Wasserman - who was married at the time - asked to see Maxwell in a tight leather outfit and requested a massage.

He has since apologized for his association with both Maxwell and Epstein. Some local officials say that apology does not go far enough.

"If LA28 is very proud of women being in record numbers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games as they've been talking about, they need to have a leader who maybe isn't affiliated with a convicted human trafficker," said L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.

"Either the Epstein files matter in terms of leadership or they don't," she added. "I think our survivors want there to be accountability, and they want people of conscience to take action."

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn and L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez are also calling for Wasserman's resignation, saying his continued role undermines ongoing efforts to ensure the 2028 Games reflect the city's values.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, however, has not joined those calls.

"As Los Angeles prepares to take the world stage and welcome the world for the Olympic Games for the third time and the Paralympics for the first, it is critical to be 100% focused on making our city shine and ensuring the 2028 Games are the best in Los Angeles' history," she said. "Ultimately, any decision on the LA28 leadership must be made by the LA28 Board. As you know, they are a separate and independent nonprofit organization."

Horvath said that if Wasserman, who has been chairman of the LA28 Olympic committee for years now, does not choose to step aside, the board should intervene.

"We need LA28 to take seriously their relationship to the women who are coming to these games, and we need to make sure that Los Angeles is putting its best foot forward," she said.

Wasserman is currently in Milan for the Winter Olympics, which are set to start on Friday.

The LA28 Summer Olympics are scheduled to begin in two years, with global attention already turning toward L.A. as preparations intensify.