Casino mogul quits RNC finance position
Close Trump ally denies allegations of sexual harassment
WASHINGTON — Casino mogul Steve Wynn stepped down as finance chairman of the Republican National Committee on Saturday, becoming the latest powerful figure to surrender an influential post amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
In a statement, Wynn thanked President Donald Trump, a close ally, for the opportunity to serve.
“Effective today I’m resigning as finance chairman of the RNC,” Wynn said. “The unbelievable success we have achieved must continue. The work we are doing to make America a better place is too important to be impaired by this distraction. “
In her own statement, RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel said: “Today I accepted Steve Wynn’s resignation as Republican National Committee Finance Chair.” She did not elaborate on the circumstances of his departure or mention the allegations against him.
Wynn’s resignation came a day after a Wall Street Journal report that included interviews with dozens of people who have worked at his casinos or had been informed of his alleged misconduct, including accusations that he pressured some employees to perform sex acts. One case led to a $7.5 million settlement with a manicurist, the newspaper reported.
Wynn denied the allegations.
“The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous,” he said Friday. He said the accusations stem from an ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife, Elaine Wynn.
The allegations against Wynn have come during a wave of sexual misconduct claims against prominent media, entertainment and political figures that gained momentum last fall after the emergence of detailed allegations of rape and harassment involving movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
“They couldn’t tolerate having him in that role, given what the party leadership had said about Democrats and Harvey Weinstein. And it’d be hard to go into the next RNC meeting with this hanging out there,” former RNC chairman Michael Steele said.
The RNC is set to hold its winter meeting in Washington in the coming days, where the finance chairman position and fallout from the Wynn allegations are expected to be a topic of conversation.
Trump and McDaniel discussed the Wynn controversy by phone Saturday, according to two people briefed on the call.
Since 2013, Wynn has contributed nearly $2.4 million to GOP candidates and party organizations around the country, including 2017 special election winners as well as dozens of state Republican Party committees.
On Friday, the Democratic National Committee criticized the RNC for its initial silence about Wynn. He also contributed to Democrats in 2000 and donated $2,700 to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
As RNC members learned of Wynn’s resignation, which was first reported by Politico, they offered mixed opinions of how committee leaders handled the situation.
One RNC member voiced fury over the committee’s “silence” since the Journal story was first published, and said McDaniel should have done more to provide information about the developments and Wynn’s status.
“We were in the dark for 24 hours. No guidance, no decision, nothing,” the RNC member said, requesting anonymity.
But a second RNC member, a state party chair also not authorized to speak publicly, defended McDaniel and said she was doing her job by waiting until the White House and Trump made a decision before she took her own position. “The White House runs the RNC, not the other way around,” the RNC member said.
A person with direct knowledge of the situation said Trump had signed off on the decision for Wynn to resign. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Wynn’s replacement is expected to be someone who has a strong relationship with Trump and deep ties in the financial community.
Steele predicted the RNC might install an interim finance chair, but, “it’s a big job and they’ll need the right person this year.”
He added: “You’re one of the lead dogs raising money in the party and you have to have street cred in the finance world so you can shake trees.”