LA28 chair Casey Wasserman says he has no plans to resign despite past ties to Ghislaine Maxwell

Casey Wasserman said on Thursday he plans to stay on as head of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing team despite calls for him to step down over ‌his past ties to convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.

Files published by the U.S. Justice Department in January included email exchanges from 2003 between Wasserman, who was married at the time, and Maxwell, the former ​girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"No and ​yes," Wasserman said when asked whether he ever considered stepping down and whether he had spoken to LA Mayor Karen Bass, ​who was one of the more prominent names that called on ⁠him to resign ⁠his post in February. He said he ‌was in regular contact with Bass.

When asked to elaborate, Wasserman said: "I talk to the mayor weekly, if not more frequently, and our conversations are between us. They continue to be thoughtful and productive with ⁠a completely shared vision on delivering the greatest games for the city and our community."

Wasserman's comments to reporters came during a press conference following three days of meetings ‌between LA28 and the IOC Coordination Commission. They were his first on the matter since he issued a statement in January that said he regretted his correspondence with Maxwell and that it took place "long before her ​horrific crimes came to light."

The files included flirty email exchanges from more than two decades ago between ⁠Wasserman and Maxwell.

Shortly after the files were published, organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles ⁠Olympics reviewed Wasserman's past interactions with Maxwell and determined that he should ⁠remain ⁠in his role.

The organizers said ​they took allegations of misconduct seriously and, with the assistance of outside counsel, found