And now Steve Wynn , former RNC Finance Chairman, has stepped down as CEO of Wynn Resorts:
Billionaire casino magnate Steve Wynn stepped down as CEO of Wynn Resorts, the company said Tuesday.
Wynn, who has donated millions to the Republican Party, was accused of sexual misconduct by several people who have worked at his Las Vegas casinos, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal in late January. The article detailed a pattern of behavior that spans decades and included accusations by employees that they were coerced by him to perform sex acts.
“It is with a collective heavy heart that the board of directors of Wynn Resorts today accepted the resignation of our founder, CEO and friend Steve Wynn,” Boone Wayson, non-executive director of the board of directors, said in a statement. [NBC News]
Steve Benen asks:
This would ordinarily be the point at which the RNC announces that it’s giving up the money it received from Wynn, but that’s apparently not the case.
A Wall Street Journal reporter noted yesterday that an RNC spokesperson said Wynn stepping down as his company’s CEO “doesn’t change” the party’s position on keeping his contributions.
RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel recently said she’s willing to return the money – if an investigation launched by Wynn’s company finds compelling evidence of wrongdoing.
And, ya know, technically I can see McDaniel’s point. Wynn’s announcement simply noted that he felt he could no longer be effective, given the negative publicity.
But, as Benen points out, the Republican Governors Association (RGA) did return the money. That complicates matters.
This is looking more and more like the idolatry of money has taken deeply hold in some Republicans. Which, I suppose, is no surprise. But it takes money to run national campaigns, and that’s the RNC‘s business, not the RGA‘s. Given the low standing in which the current GOP Congressional members are held, it’s no surprise they’d prefer not to give up this billionaire’s money, because it’s going to take an avalanche of slick advertising to hold back this particular tide.
Perhaps the GOP should think about what they’re doing before putting their foot into it. I’m talking about such foolishness as trying to replace the ACA, the silly Nunes memo shit, and in fact all of the amateurism and incompetence on current exhibit in Congress.
Including their amateur President.
