Steve Wynn: Casino mogul resigns as Republican National Committee chairman after sexual misconduct allegations

Last week, he helped host a fundraiser for President Donald Trump

Steve Wynn has denied the sexual assault allegations. (Getty)

Billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn has resigned as finance chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.

“Today I accepted Steve Wynn’s resignation as Republican National Committee finance chair,” said RNC chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, who reportedly spoke about the situation with President Donald Trump on Saturday morning.

Mr Wynn is a former business rival of Mr Trump, who once referred to the mogul as a “great friend” and said he values his advice. Mr Wynn became the finance chairman of the RNC following Mr Trump’s election.

Last weekend, Ms McDaniel and Mr Wynn hosted a fundraiser for the President at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to mark the first anniversary of Mr Trump’s inauguration, according to the Washington Post. The President was originally expected to attend, but he ended up skipping the event as a government shutdown unfolded in Washington.

On Friday, the Wall Street Journal published a report alleging that Mr Wynn forced a manicurist to have sex and then paid her a $7.5m (£5.2m) settlement.

The 76-year-old is said to have pressured the married woman to take her clothes off and lie on the massage table he kept in his office. After being told of the allegations, the woman’s supervisor said she filed a detailed report to the casino’s human-resources department recounting the incident, the newspaper said.

The Journal also spoke to dozens of people who have worked at Mr Wynn’s casinos. They reportedly described behaviour that indicated a decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr Wynn.

Mr Wynn has denied all sexual assault allegations.

“The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous,” Mr Wynn said in a written statement emailed to The Independent. “We find ourselves in a world where people can make allegations, regardless of the truth, and a person is left with the choice of weathering insulting publicity or engaging in multi-year lawsuits.”

Early on in his career, Mr Wynn oversaw the construction and operation of hotels and casinos that have become famous fixtures on the Las Vegas strip, including the Wynn, the Mirage and Treasure Island.