Reynold Hoover, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles 2028 organizing committee, said on Monday that he and the LA28 board remain firmly behind Chair Casey Wasserman following renewed scrutiny triggered by recently released U.S. Justice Department files connected to Jeffrey Epstein.
Hoover's comments mark his first public remarks on the matter since Wasserman's name surfaced in the documents published late last month and since Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass suggested Wasserman should resign. The files include flirtatious email exchanges from more than 20 years ago between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is a close associate of convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
"The board has taken their position - they support him and I support him," Hoover said, according to his remarks a day after the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics concluded. Hoover, a retired three-star U.S. Army lieutenant general, reiterated that the LA28 board had already reviewed the issue through outside counsel and reaffirmed its support for Wasserman.
The outside review concluded that Wasserman's prior interactions with Maxwell and the late, convicted sex offender Epstein did not reveal anything beyond what had previously been made public, the committee said earlier this month when it first restated its backing for the chair.
Hoover emphasized the organizing group's commercial accomplishments as evidence of continuity in leadership and operational stability. He pointed to record domestic sponsorship revenue and robust early ticket interest as signs that the organizing team remains on course.
"We’ve got a great leadership team here at LA28," Hoover said. "Just look at the results."
Commercial performance and sponsor response
Hoover provided further detail on the committee's commercial position, saying the privately funded Games have already surpassed $2 billion in commercial sponsorship revenue. That figure represents approximately 80% of the organizing committee's stated target of $2.5 billion, with more than two years to go before the opening ceremony in 2028.
He also pointed to strong volunteer interest from the public and described overall metrics as having "exceeded all expectations" and having "broken all Olympic records by any measure." Hoover said that, in his view, these outcomes should reinforce confidence in the organizing team's stewardship.
Addressing whether sponsors have raised objections related to Wasserman, Hoover said there has been no discussion about replacing the chair, no interruption to routine operations, and no complaints from current or prospective sponsors.
"I was at a meeting in Dallas with a potential sponsor - hopefully we’ll get them signed up - and it wasn’t even raised," he said, adding that LA28 will soon announce another top-level sponsor to join an existing roster that includes Delta Air Lines, Honda, Google, Starbucks, Comcast, Intuit and management-consulting firm Korn Ferry. "No one is asking about it."
The article notes that those sponsors did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether they remain supportive of Wasserman.
Political and municipal reactions
Hoover said he maintains a "great, very close" working relationship with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and expressed some surprise at her recent call for Wasserman to step down. "Look, that’s her opinion. But she also said that the LA28 board has taken a position and is supporting Casey, so there’s nothing more to really be said on it," he added.
The LA28 chair issued a statement late last month expressing regret for his correspondence with Maxwell, which he said occurred "long before her horrific crimes came to light." Wasserman also denied ever having a personal or business relationship with Epstein.
Los Angeles City Council member Monica Rodriguez criticized the board's decision to back Wasserman and recently introduced a resolution at City Hall aimed at "reaffirming Los Angeles’ commitment to the core values of the Olympic movement, including excellence, respect and integrity in leadership."
The offices of Mayor Bass and Councilmember Rodriguez did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Hoover's renewed endorsement of Wasserman.
Focus on delivering the Games
Wasserman, 51, has spent more than a decade working to secure the return of the Summer Games to Southern California. Hoover said the organizing committee is concentrating on planning and execution, with the aim of staging what he described as the largest and greatest Summer Games in history.
"This is going to be an incredible, incredible Games and people need to start focusing on that aspect of it, and let’s move on," Hoover said, urging stakeholders and the public to direct attention toward the logistics and delivery of the event scheduled for 2028.
The surrounding controversy continues to draw municipal and public attention, even as LA28 officials emphasize their commercial progress and readiness. For now, the board and its chief executive have publicly closed ranks behind their chair, citing outside counsel's review and current commercial momentum as the basis for their decision.