GOP: “Republicans on Sunday [1-28-18] worked to distance themselves from Steve Wynn in the wake of a Wall Street Journal report of former employees describing a decadeslong pattern of sexual misconduct by the casino mogul and GOP financial bigwig.
The allegations against one of Las Vegas’s most powerful figures reverberated in the political world over the weekend, as Mr. Wynn stepped down from his post as Republican National Committee finance chairman. He had donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to GOP candidates and political committees, and a number of Republican officials said they would redirect his contributions to charities… A spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) said Sunday that he would donate the $1,000 he received from a PAC affiliated with Wynn Resorts to a charity.
Rep. Karen Handel (R., Ga.) over the weekend gave Mr. Wynn’s contribution to a charity in her district that helps victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse, according to her spokesman. Mr. Wynn and his wife, Andrea, each donated $2,700 to Mrs. Handel last year. The congresswoman’s spokesman didn’t specify the size of her charitable donation…
The Journal on Friday reported that shortly after Mr. Wynn opened his flagship Wynn Las Vegas in 2005, a manicurist who worked there told people that Mr. Wynn forced her to have sex. The casino billionaire later paid the manicurist a $7.5 million settlement, the Journal reported. Beyond that incident, dozens of people the Journal interviewed who have worked at Mr. Wynn’s casinos described a pattern of sexual misconduct.”
-Chris Gordon, “Steve Wynn Fallout Ripples as Republicans Seek Distance,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 28, 2018 10:03pm