Steve Wynn Resigns As RNC Finance Chair

Casino mogul, Trump's 'great friend' accused of widespread sexual misconduct
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 27, 2018 2:59 PM CST
RNC Finance Chair Resigns Over Sexual Misconduct Claims
In this Tuesday, March 15, 2016 file photo, casino mogul Steve Wynn smiles during a news conference in Medford, Mass.   (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

President Trump's handpicked Republican National Committee finance chair is resigning over allegations of widespread sexual misconduct, Politico reports. Billionaire Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn, who Trump has called "a great friend," stepped down from the position Saturday, according to NBC News. A Wall Street Journal report Friday revealed allegations of sexual harassment and assault—including coercing employees into sex—against the 76-year-old Wynn going back decades. Wynn calls the allegations "preposterous" and blames his ex-wife "with whom I am involved in a terrible and nasty lawsuit." It's unclear who will replace Wynn as finance chair. Deputy finance chair and Trump lawyer Michael Cohen says Wynn "is a truly great man."

Over the past five years, Wynn has given more than $3.2 million to the Republican Governors Association, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the RNC, and the National Republican Congressional Committee. USA Today reports Democrats are pressuring Republican lawmakers to return money they've received from Wynn—something GOP lawmakers demanded of Democrats following the allegations against Harvey Weinstein. “In the exact words of RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, ‘If you stand for treating women well and you stand for the respect of women, you shouldn't take money from somebody who treated women with the absolute highest level of disrespect,'" says Sabrina Singh, spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee. (More Steve Wynn stories.)

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