>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
Maxwell is now serving a 20 year federal sentence following her 2021 conviction on five counts related to sex trafficking and the abuse of minors. She was found guilty of recruiting underage girls for Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges.
The timing of these revelations could not be worse for Los Angeles.
Wasserman oversees the 2028 Olympic Games, an event that will place the city under intense global scrutiny. He controls billions in public and private funding and serves as the public face of the Games.
Several Los Angeles officials have already called for him to step aside.
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn said Wasserman should resign, arguing that his continued leadership distracts from the athletes and sends the wrong signal to survivors of Epstein’s crimes. LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia questioned whether the city can entrust its financial future to someone linked to Epstein and Maxwell. City Councilman Hugo Soto Martinez warned that failing to remove Wasserman would undermine public confidence in the Games.
County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath highlighted the irony that the 2028 Olympics are being promoted as the most inclusive Games in history, with record female participation. She questioned what message that sends when the organizing committee is led by someone who maintained an intimate correspondence with a convicted human trafficker.
Yet the officials with the most authority to force a change have refused to act.
Mayor Karen Bass released a cautious statement saying the city must remain focused on delivering a successful Games. She added that any leadership decisions rest with the organizing committee’s board. The International Olympic Committee echoed that position. IOC Vice President Nicole Hoevertsz said she has “full trust” in Wasserman despite the emails becoming public.
The files also revived scrutiny of a 2002 trip to Africa connected to the Clinton Foundation. Flight logs confirm Wasserman traveled aboard Epstein’s plane on what was described as a humanitarian mission focused on AIDS research. Also on board were Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker, Maxwell, and several unidentified young women listed as a masseuse, model, and ballerina.
An emergency physician on the trip later told FBI investigators that he found it strange that Epstein traveled with four women whose roles were unclear. He described seeing someone abruptly shut Epstein’s bedroom door and witnessing Epstein grab and rub another passenger’s buttocks.
Wasserman has insisted he had no ongoing personal or business relationship with Epstein beyond that trip. In a statement, he said he “deeply regrets” the correspondence with Maxwell and that it occurred before her crimes became widely known. He also said he is “terribly sorry” for any association with Epstein or Maxwell.
For some in the entertainment industry, that apology was not enough. Grammy winning singer Chappell Roan parted ways with Wasserman’s agency, saying no artist should defend actions that conflict with their moral values. Other musicians and bands followed.
Still, the political and Olympic establishment appears unmoved.
The broader document release underscores a disturbing pattern. Prosecutors in 2007 prepared a 32 count federal indictment against Epstein, describing him as an extreme flight risk and a continuing danger. Instead of pursuing those charges, authorities negotiated a plea deal that allowed him to serve just 18 months on a single state charge. No accomplices were prosecuted at that time.
Now, as the Epstein files shed light on elite connections stretching back decades, critics argue that powerful institutions continue to shield their own.
Los Angeles is preparing to welcome the world in 2028. The question facing city leaders is whether that spotlight will illuminate athletic achievement or cast a long shadow over unresolved ethical concerns at the very top.
