Donald Trump and Steve
Wynn.
Reuters
Billionaire Steve Wynn, one of the biggest donors in
politics, was accused of widespread sexual misconduct on
Friday.
He has donated millions to Republicans while donating a
much smaller amount to Democrats.
So far, his largest recipients have remained
silent.
Billionaire casino magnate Steve Wynn, who was just accused of
widespread sexual misconduct, including assault, by dozens who
spoke with The
Wall Street Journal, is one of the most prominent donors
in politics.
Wynn, whose estimated
net worth is $2.5 billion, stepped down as the Republican
National Committee's finance chair on Saturday and has donated
millions to candidates and groups over the past four decades.
The billionaire has contributed millions between the RNC, the
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the National
Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), President Donald
Trump, and a number of other powerful and prominent lawmakers.
According to The Journal report, Wynn was described as having
regularly intimidated casino employees into performing sex acts.
In one instance, Wynn paid a $7.5 million settlement to a
manicurist who accused him of forcing her to have sex with him in
2005. The 75-year-old has denied all
of the allegations, calling them "preposterous."
Wynn joined the RNC as its top fundraiser after Trump was elected
president, and the magnate donated $729,217 to
Trump's inauguration through his company, Wynn Resorts. A former
business rival, Trump called Wynn "a great friend" in 2016.
Throughout the years, Wynn has mostly donated to Republicans. But
he has filled Democratic coffers as well.
Federal Election Commission records showed that, over the past
four decades, Wynn donated:
- more than $761,000 to the NRSC
- roughly $450,000 to the RNC
- more than $106,000 to the NRCC
- $30,500 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Aside from Trump, Wynn has made major contributions to:
- Republican Sen. Dean Heller
- Republican Sen. John McCain
- former Republican Rep. Joe Heck
He's made smaller contributions to prominent Republicans such as:
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski
- Sen. Jeff Flake
- Sen. Tim Scott
- Sen. Ron Johnson
- Sen. Todd Young
- Sen. Ted Cruz
- Sen. Marco Rubio
- Sen. Steve Daines
- Sen. Dan Sullivan
- Sen. Thom Tillis
- Sen. Tom Cotton
- Sen. Bill Cassidy
- Sen. John Thune
- Sen. Richard Burr
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
- Sen. Bob Corker
- Sen. Orrin Hatch
On the Democratic side, Wynn donated more than $31,000 to former
Sen. Harry Reid.
He has also made smaller donations to:
- former Sen. Jay Rockefeller
- former Sen. Barbara Boxer
- former Sen. Max Baucus
- former Secretary of State John Kerry
- former Vice President Joe Biden
- 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton
So far, these recipients have stayed mostly silent. Late last year, after it was
revealed that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein had engaged in a
years-long pattern of sexual misconduct and committed sexual
assaults, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel pressed Democrats to return
their donations from the major contributor.
Many Democrats did in the days that followed, donating the
equivalent amounts of money to charity. The Democratic National
Committee itself returned a fraction of the more than $300,000 it
had received from Weinstein over the years.
But on Friday, McDaniel and the Republican organizations, as well
as the politicians, did not rush to return the cash.
"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,'" DNC deputy
communications director Sabrina Singh said in a statement.
"Instead, the RNC and Ronna McDaniel have helped fund the
campaign of an alleged child molester, blindly supported the
GOP’s attacks on women's health, supported a [resident who has
been accused of sexual misconduct by over a dozen women – and now
they remain silent amid sexual assault allegations involving
Steve Wynn, one of their party's most senior officials."
On Saturday, McDaniel said in a statement that she "accepted
Steve Wynn's resignation" as RNC finance chair, but did not make
mention of his donations or the allegations made against him.
Both the RNC and the White House did not return requests for
comment from Business Insider.
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