The following article by Lisa Hagen was posted on the Hill website January 26,2018:
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Friday condemned its Republican counterpart for not commenting on sexual misconduct allegations leveled against Republican National Committee (RNC) finance chairman Steve Wynn.
“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 president 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.”
“This is the Republican Party. This is the party of Donald Trump, Roy Moore, Joe Arpaio and Trent Franks,” the DNC statement added.
Wynn, a billionaire casino mogul, is facing allegations from numerous women that include claims that he pressured some employees to take part in sex acts, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Wynn, who turns 76 this weekend, has denied the allegations, calling them “preposterous.”
The RNC has so far not released any statement or comment since the allegations broke early Friday afternoon.
Democrats are accusing Republicans of a double standard for calling on Democratic incumbents and candidates to return campaign donations after The New York Times reported the decades-long sexual misconduct allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
The RNC was quick to call on Democrats to give back the money from Weinstein when the story broke in early October.
Wynn was tapped as an RNC official after President Trump’s inauguration last year. In his role as RNC finance chairman, Wynn is tasked with raising money for the 2018 midterm elections where Republicans are expected to face fierce headwinds.
Wynn, once a rival casino owner who refrained from endorsing during the presidential race, called Trump a “great friend” in 2016 and served as a vice chairman on Trump’s inaugural committee after the election.
Wynn had a history of being a political benefactor for both Democrats and Republicans, including donating to Trump’s primary and general election rivals. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he donated to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Updated at 5:11 p.m.