LA28 CEO voices strong support for embattled chair Wasserman

Feb 23 : Los Angeles 2028 CEO Reynold Hoover on Monday gave his full backing to Chair Casey Wasserman, telling Reuters his support remains unwavering despite increased scrutiny following the most recent release of U.S. Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

The comments were Hoover's first on the matter since Wasserman's name appeared in the documents published late last month, and his first since the mayor of Los Angeles called on him to step down. The documents featured flirty email exchanges from more than two decades ago between Wasserman and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, a close Epstein associate.

"The board has taken their position - they support him and I support him," said Hoover, a retired three-star U.S. Army lieutenant general, speaking a day after the close of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Earlier this month, the LA28 board reaffirmed its support for Wasserman following a review by outside counsel, which concluded his past association with Maxwell and the late convicted sex offender Epstein did not go beyond what had already been publicly documented.

Hoover pointed to the organization's commercial performance - including record domestic sponsorship revenue and strong early ticket interest - as evidence of stability under its current leadership.

"We've got a great leadership team here at LA28," he said. "Just look at the results."

NO SPONSOR CONCERNS OVER WASSERMAN

Those results include the privately funded Games having exceeded $2 billion in commercial sponsorship revenue, Hoover said, bringing LA28 80 per cent of the way toward its overall goal of $2.5 billion with more than two years still to go until the opening ceremony. 

The public has shown strong interest in volunteering at