Politics

Steve Wynn Leaves Company Amid ‘Avalanche Of Negative Publicity’

REUTERS/Mike Blake

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Thomas Phippen Acting Editor-In-Chief
Font Size:

Las Vegas casino mogul and GOP mega-donor Steve Wynn has stepped down as head of his resort company after allegations that he sexually harassed and covered up accusations for decades.

“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, the non-executive director of Wynn Resorts board of directors, said in a statement Tuesday evening.

Wynn continues to deny the allegations, but suggested in a statement to the board that he didn’t want to damage the company’s image. He also decried the climate the “me too” movement has created.

RNC CHAIRWOMAN LAYS OUT PLANS FOR WYNN MONEY

“In the last couple of weeks, I have found myself the focus of an avalanche of negative publicity,” Wynn said. “As I have reflected upon the environment this has created — one in which a rush to judgment takes precedence over everything else, including the facts — I have reached the conclusion I cannot continue to be effective in my current roles. Therefore, effective immediately, I have decided to step down as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Wynn Resorts, a company I founded and that I love.”

Wynn’s departure from his company continues his withdrawal from public-facing roles. Wynn saw his net worth plummet by at least $250 million after stock in his company, Wynn Resorts, dropped 10 percent following the Wall Street Journal’s report of the allegations, Forbes magazine reported.

Within 24 hours of the Wall Street Journal’s report, which alleged that Wynn pressured a massage therapist and a manicurist to have sex with him on multiple occasions and engaged in harassing behavior toward subordinates, Wynn resigned his position as finance chair of the Republican National Committee.

Las Vegas Review-Journal said Monday it halted publication of a 1998 story that would have exposed allegations of sexual harassment by Wynn, including how he attempted to pressure a cocktail waitress and a server into sex. He allegedly told the server, who had been talking about her grandchildren, that he’d like to know what sex with a grandmother is like.

Follow Thomas Phippen on Twitter

Send tips to thomas@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Freedom of Speech Isn’t Free
The Daily Caller News Foundation is working hard to balance out the biased American media. For as little as $3, you can help us. Make a one-time donation to support the quality, independent journalism of TheDCNF. We’re not dependent on commercial or political support and we do not accept any government funding.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.