US casino magnate, Republican Party finance chief quits over sexual abuse reports

"Today I accepted Steve Wynn’s resignation as Republican National Committee finance chair," said RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel in a statement released on Saturday.
 
The RNC statement was the first reaction by the ruling Republican Party since reports of sexual misconduct involving the casino magnate surfaced the previous day.
 
Following a Wall Street Journal report on Friday regarding accusations against Wynn from employees at his gambling establishments and properties that span decades, Republican authorities came under pressure to respond to the charges.
 
According to the New York-based daily, Wynn reached a $7.5 million settlement with a manicurist who worked at his Wynn Las Vegas property, alleging that the Republican Party official forced her into a sexual relationship. Other women have also reported multiple other instances of inappropriate touching or comments, the daily further unveiled.
 
Wynn was tapped to serve as the RNC’s finance chairman after Trump's presidential inauguration last year. He previously described Trump as a "great friend" in 2016 and served as a vice chairman on the US president’s inaugural committee.
 
The wealthy gambling promoter has donated to various pro-Israel political institutions as well as both Republican and Democratic lawmakers across the US.
 
He further donated nearly $450,000 to the RNC and more than $761,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
 
This is while the Republican Party officials have not yet indicated what they will do with Wynn's political donations. 
 
According to local press reports, Wynn donated $729,217 to Trump's inauguration and has made considerable financial contributions to pro-Israeli lawmakers, including Democratic Nevada Senator Dean Heller as well as Republican Senators John McCain of Arizona and former Congressman Joe Heck of Nevada. 
 
The casino mogul has also made smaller donations to other Republican members of the US Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senators Marco Rubio of Florida, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Orrin Hatch of Utah, and Bob Corker of Tennessee.
 
Wynn has also donated to pro-Israel Democratic politicians, giving more than $31,000 to former Nevada Senator Harry Reid and smaller contributions to former US Vice President Joe Biden and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
 
Meanwhile, Wynn has denied the sexual misconduct allegations through a statement to the daily that published them, blaming his former wife for spreading such reports. 
 
“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,” he alleged. Elaine Wynn's attorney, however, denied the claim. 
 
The casino magnate further stated, “The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is 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.”
 
The latest case of US politicians quitting their posts following multiple allegations of sexual abuse filed against them has also fueled political attacks, with the rival Democratic National Committee (DNC) slamming its Republican counterpart for two consecutive days, accusing party officials of having a double standard when it came to handling allegations of sexual misconduct.
 
Democrats insisted that Republicans were quick to point out Democratic lawmakers and say that the party should return donations from liberal filmmaker Harvey Weinstein when a wave of sexual abuse allegations against him surfaced in the fall.