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- In 2018, RNC said it would continue to take money from casino mogul Steve Wynn after sexual misconduct allegations.
- The chair said his donations would be returned if "any misdoing" was found.
- Despite numerous settlements and fines against him, the group has accepted $1.4 million from him.
In 2018, soon after the Wall Street Journal published accounts of sexual misconduct committed by casino mogul Steve Wynn against his employees and others, the Republican Governors Association said it'd return the $100,000 Wynn had donated.
They weren't the only ones.
GOP Sen. Susan Collins similarly called on her fellow conservatives to give back any donations from Wynn if they had yet to spend it. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham added that any money from Wynn should be returned by Republicans if the allegations "have merit."
Ultimately, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said on Fox News the group would continue to accept donations from Wynn — who was the RNC's finance chair from 2017 to January 2018, when the Wall Street Journal released its findings — until he is "found guilty of any wrongdoing."
Then, she added, "we will absolutely return 100% of the money."
Since McDaniel's 2018 comments, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said in a lawsuit that an investigation by its board revealed "numerous instances of unwelcome sexual conduct by Mr. Wynn "including coercing employees into sex with him, exposing himself, and inappropriate comments and touching.
Over the years, Wynn and his attorneys have repeatedly maintained he's innocent, not once admitting to any misconduct. Wynn's attorney, Colby Williams, did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
While Wynn has not been found guilty, since the allegations were published in 2018, the casino magnate has paid more than $30 million in settlements related to his alleged misconduct.
Wynn has faced scrutiny for past donations.
Wynn's former company, Wynn Resorts, has also had to pay $75 million in related settlements and fines.
In comparison, in 2017 RNC and McDaniel called on Democrats and the Democratic National Committee to refund any donations from Harvey Weinstein, who at the time had been accused of rape and sexual assault but not yet found guilty. (Weinstein had secretly settled with accusers for years prior to public allegations.)
"During three decades worth of sexual harassment allegations, Harvey Weinstein lined the pockets of Democrats to the tune of three-quarters of a million dollars," McDaniel said, adding it would be a "no-brainer" for them to return the "dirty money" if they "truly stand up for women like they say they do."
The DNC ultimately said it'd donate "over $30,000" in contributions from Weinstein to a group of charities.
The scrutiny in 2018 seemed to be enough for Wynn to take a yearlong hiatus from donating to the RNC in 2019. But Federal Election Commission records show that he's since given the group more than $1.4 million.
He's also given the maximum allowed amount of contributions to the campaigns of a slew of conservative Senate and House candidates like Sen. Ted Cruz and Reps. Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace.
Wynn has also since donated $12.3 million to a GOP super PAC, Our American Century, which appeared to have violated election law in 2020 by illegally contributing to former President Donald Trump's reelection campaign.
A representative from the RNC did not provide Business Insider with a comment at the time of publication.