A recently-published exposé in the Wall Street Journal added another person to the running list of men accused of sexual misconduct: billionaire Steve Wynn, casino mogul and finance chairman of the Republican National Committee.
The allegations are stomach-turning, and paint Wynn as an abuser who frequently took advantage of his employees and allegedly pressured some to perform sex acts on him. In one account, Wynn allegedly demanded a manicurist to have sex with him on his massage table, despite her telling him that she didn’t want to and she was married.
He later allegedly paid the manicurist $7.5 million in a settlement after she filed a detailed report to human resources. According to the Wall Street Journal, the case was referenced in a separate lawsuit with his ex-wife, Elaine Wynn.
“Beyond this incident, dozens of people The Wall Street Journal interviewed who have worked at Mr. Wynn’s casinos told of behavior that cumulatively would amount to a decades long pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Wynn. Some described him pressuring employees to perform sex acts,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Wynn wrote in a statement to the Wall Street Journal that the allegations were “preposterous.”
“We find ourselves in a world where people can make allegations, regardless of the truth, and a person is left with the choice of weathering insulting publicity or engaging in multi-year lawsuits. It is deplorable for anyone to find themselves in this situation,” he wrote. “The instigation of these accusations is the continued work of my ex-wife Elaine Wynn, with whom I am involved in a terrible and nasty lawsuit in which she is seeking a revised divorce settlement.”
Considering Wynn’s leadership position as finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, and his relationship with Trump, the fallout is more politically tinged. When news broke in October about Harvey Weinstein's serial sexual abuse, the GOP ridiculed Democrats who received donations from Weinstein, requesting that they return them. "Still no word from DNC on returning all of Harvey Weinstein's donations," the GOP wrote on Twitter.
Former Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer posted a graphic showing Democrats who had kept donations from Weinstein.
"If the DNC truly stands up for women like they say they do, then returning Weinstein's dirty money should be a no-brainer," Ronna McDaniel, Chair of the Republican National Committee, wrote.
Likewise, Wynn helped Trump raise donations for his campaign and then some. Collectively, Steve Wynn has donated over one million dollars to GOP candidates and causes.
Likewise, Wynn has touted the GOP's financial success.
"This month's numbers show once again that Americans of all backgrounds approve of the direction our country is headed under Republican leadership," Wynn said in October 2017. "We are grateful to our generous donors who allow us to continue to expand our Republican majorities."
Following news about Weinstein, some Democratic lawmakers — like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Okla. and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer. D-N.Y. — pledged to donate their donations from Weinstein to women’s charities. Perhaps they heard the RNC's call.
If Republicans do not do the same, their hypocrisy will be glaring.
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