Collins: Republicans should give back Wynn donations

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a Sunday show interview that Republicans who have accepted donations from former Republican National Committee (RNC) finance chairman Steve Wynn should give the money back if they have not yet spent the funds. 

“If they’ve accepted contributions recently from him that have not been spent, absolutely, I don’t even think it’s a close call to return the money,” Collins told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

{mosads}Collins said she planned to call on Wynn to step aside from his post due to the reported allegations of sexual misconduct against the casino mogul.

“I’m very pleased that he immediately stepped down from the RNC position. I was going to call upon him to step down,” she said. 

The Maine lawmaker called the allegations against Wynn, which were reported by The Wall Street Journal, “very serious.” She also noted that she had never taken any money from the former chairman. 

“So I think they’re very serious allegations and should be treated as such and I’m pleased to say that I’ve never received any money from Mr. Wynn so I have no money to return,” she said.

Wynn, who was named an RNC official after President Trump’s inauguration, faces sexual misconduct allegations going back decades.

The Journal reported that Wynn reached a $7.5 million settlement with an employee at his Wynn Las Vegas property who said he forced her to have sex with him.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said Saturday that she accepted Wynn’s resignation.

Republicans called upon Democrats last year to return donations from disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein after a series of sexual assault and harassment allegations were made against him.