Activists and elected officials in the Los Angeles area escalated demands on Tuesday for Casey Wasserman to resign as chair of the organising committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, citing previously published documents that show past contact between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex trafficker associated with Jeffrey Epstein.
The protesters gathered at a podium marked with a prominent #FireWasserman placard, part of an expanding push for Wasserman's removal that has gained momentum less than a week after the LA28 board reaffirmed him as chairman. Organisers and speakers said their action reflects wider concern among survivor groups and local leaders.
West Hollywood city council member Chelsea Byers framed the demand as an extension of the city's commitment to survivors. "West Hollywood has a proud history of standing with survivors and demanding accountability from those who abuse power, and that is exactly what we are here doing today," she told reporters. "We are calling on Casey Wasserman to resign from his role as chairperson of the LA28 Olympic Committee." The organisers said Wasserman has not been accused of wrongdoing.
LA28 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The push for resignation follows the publication of files from the U.S. Justice Department in January, which included email exchanges from 2003 between Wasserman and Maxwell. At the time of those exchanges, Wasserman was married. In response to scrutiny, Wasserman has denied having a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and has apologised for his past association with Maxwell, saying their interactions occurred before the crimes for which Maxwell and Epstein later became known.
LA28's executive committee said that, with the help of outside counsel, it had reviewed Wasserman's historical interactions with Epstein and Maxwell. According to that internal review, roughly 23 years ago Wasserman and his then-wife flew to Africa on Epstein's plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation. The committee characterised that trip as Wasserman's sole contact with Epstein and noted that soon after the flight he engaged in the publicly disclosed email exchanges with Maxwell.
Not all observers accepted the conclusion of the review. Attorney Michael Carrillo characterised the internal report as inadequate. "That was an internal report prepared by lawyers hired by the LA28 board. That is not enough. That is insufficient," he said, adding that the response sends a troubling signal to survivors. "This is sending a message to all survivors that we will back powerful individuals like Casey Wasserman, but we will not care or protect you. It is sending a message that the LA28 Olympic Committee is more concerned about saving Wasserman than mingling sex trafficking issues with the 2028 Olympics."
Caroline Heldman, representing Stand With Survivors and a coalition of survivor organisations, reiterated the demand that Wasserman step down. "New rule, if you pal around with human traffickers, you don’t get to lead the Olympics," she said. Heldman criticised what she described as a loss of moral authority for the organising committee and urged the LA28 board to remove Wasserman immediately if it seeks to restore that authority. "The Olympics are not a private playground for wealthy men, and for the powerful, they are a civic trust that belongs to all of us," she said. "If LA28 wants to regain its moral authority, and I assure you, you have lost it, the board must immediately remove Casey Wasserman."
Local officials signalled formal action. Council member John Erickson said that on March 2 West Hollywood will introduce a resolution calling for Wasserman's resignation, which he said would make West Hollywood the first city in the nation to take such a step.
The confrontation between local officials, survivor advocates and the LA28 leadership underscores tensions between public expectations for accountability and the committee's internal governance process. Organisers of the protest said their aim is to ensure survivors' voices are prioritised and to press the LA28 board for what they describe as a more transparent and independent inquiry into Wasserman's past associations.
At the same time, LA28's public statements have emphasised that its review found limited contact between Wasserman and Epstein and that the interactions took place before their crimes were widely known. The committee's findings and Wasserman's denials of an ongoing relationship with Epstein remain central to the dispute as advocates press for further action.