Even after Wynn resigns in disgrace, RNC refuses to speak out on sexual abuse

Steve Wynn, a major Las Vegas hotel operator, has resigned as finance chairman of the Republican National Committee after allegations of serial sexual harassment and abuse were reported by the Wall Street Journal.

RNC chair Ronna Romney McDaniel commented to Politico, “Today I accepted Steve Wynn’s resignation as Republican National Committee finance chair.”

McDaniel’s statement did not detail the thousands of dollars he donated to the RNC or raised for the organization, nor did it mention why he was resigning — the assault reports.

Multiple women have accused Wynn of rape and sexual harassment, and employees at his resorts have described a culture of abuse and fear that made employees “petrified.”

For over 24 hours after the revelations were made public, the RNC maintained complete silence on the topic.

The reluctance to speak up stood in stark contrast to the party’s demands that Democrats should return money associated with producer Harvey Weinstein after reports detailing his long history of sexual harassment and assault surfaced.

At the time, the RNC said, “If Democrats and the DNC truly stand up for women like they say they do, then returning this dirty money should be a no brainer.”

Wynn was closely tied to Donald Trump. Just last week, he co-hosted and spoke at a party fundraising event at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida vacation resort. CNN reported that at the event, Wynn discussed how Trump had offered him the position of finance chair.

“I took this job at the request of the President back at the time of the inauguration because I was amazed,” Wynn said.

Sean Spicer, former White House press secretary was among the loudest voices pushing for Democrats to return donations from Weinstein. But when he was asked about Wynn and his role in Republican politics, he went silent. Daily Beast reporter Sam Stein wrote that for after asking Spicer for comment on the story. “He has yet to respond,” Stein noted.

Reporters on the political beat noticed the silence, and its implications for the party.

CNN White House correspondent Abby D. Phillip said, “The silence from the RNC on this has been deafening.”

Jonathan Martin from the New York Times noted that RNC officials were possibly “paralyzed” because “they fear, a la Roy Moore, Trump could undermine them.”

That was a reference to the party first distancing itself from accused pedophile Roy Moore, only to see Trump mount a full-court press in Moore’s unsuccessful Alabama Senate campaign.

The refusal to speak out on Wynn highlights again the fact that the head of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, is an admitted sexual harasser and groper who bragged about assaulting women.

The party is forever compromised by their complicity in elevating and protecting him, and their decision to attack others on that front exposes once again what hypocrites they are.