--- title: Steve Wynn Accusations: GOP's Karen Handel Returns Donations description: Republicans and the RNC are being pressured to donate contributions from Steve Wynn following allegations of sexual misconduct. canonical: https://time.com/5122174/steve-wynn-contribution-donations/ author: Jennifer Calfas article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-28T20:41:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T12:31:59.742Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republican Congresswoman Donates Contribution from Steve Wynn og:description: Other GOP lawmakers called on their colleagues to donate contributions from Wynn og:url: https://time.com/5122174/steve-wynn-contribution-donations/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1beb918556906d05/6988f9bf8fd2ee2f1f35a787/steve-wynn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Wynn Resorts Ltd. Chief Executive Officer and Billionaire Steve Wynn News Conference og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republican Congresswoman Donates Contribution from Steve Wynn twitter:description: Other GOP lawmakers called on their colleagues to donate contributions from Wynn twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1beb918556906d05/6988f9bf8fd2ee2f1f35a787/steve-wynn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republican Congresswoman Donates Contribution from Steve Wynn Amid Allegations of Sexual Misconduct > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) and [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/) Jan 28, 2018 8:41 PM UTC  Billionaire Steve Wynn, chairman and chief executive officer of Wynn Resorts Ltd., leaves a news conference following the company's annual general meeting in Macau, China, on Thursday, May 15, 2014 Billionaire Steve Wynn, chairman and chief executive officer of Wynn Resorts Ltd., leaves a news conference following the company's annual general meeting in Macau, China, on Thursday, May 15, 2014 Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) and [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/) Jan 28, 2018 8:41 PM UTC Republican Rep. Karen Handel donated the $2,700 contribution former Republication National Committee finance chair Steve Wynn made to her campaign following allegations of sexual misconduct against him. A spokesperson for Handel told TIME that Handel donated the $2,700 this weekend to a Georgia nonprofit organization that helps victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. The decision comes after Wynn [stepped down](http://time.com/5121801/steve-wynn-resigns/) from his position at the RNC following [a report from the Wall Street _Journal_](https://www.wsj.com/articles/dozens-of-people-recount-pattern-of-sexual-misconduct-by-las-vegas-mogul-steve-wynn-1516985953) that detailed numerous allegations of sexual misconduct from dozens of people over decades. Wynn has denied the allegations. Wynn, who until Saturday was the finance chair of the RNC, donated over $65,000 to the RNC in 2017, according to documents from the Federal Election Commission. He also donated $100,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and thousands to the campaigns of Sens. Jeff Flake and Dean Heller, as well as Congressman Greg Gianforte and Handel. Representatives for Flake, Heller, Gianforte and the NRSC did not respond to comment. The RNC did not respond to an immediate request for comment. In interviews Sunday morning, Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, called on the RNC to donate or return the funds Wynn had contributed to the committee. “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 [said on CNN’s _State of the Union_.](https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/01/28/susan-collins-steve-wynn-gop-money-sotu.cnn) The allegations against Wynn come amid a national reckoning with sexual harassment and assault. The conversation has touched politics, with the resignations of former Minnesota Sen. [Al Franken](http://time.com/5054253/al-franken-resigns-transcript/) and former Michigan Rep. [John Conyers](http://time.com/5049821/john-conyers-retires-endorses-son/) amid allegations of sexual harassment. In October, investigations from the [New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html) and [_The New Yorker_ ](https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories)exposed Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s [decades of systematic sexual assault and abuse](http://time.com/4976003/harvey-weinstein-gwyneth-paltrow-angelina-jolie/) toward women in the industry. In the aftermath of those allegations, a number of [Democratic lawmakers returned their donations](http://time.com/4972389/harvey-weinstein-democratic-senators/) from Weinstein. Those lawmakers included a number of senators, as well as 2016 Democratic presidential nominee [Hillary Clinton](http://time.com/4978983/hillary-clinton-harvey-weinstein-donations/). At the time, Republicans called on Democrats to donate Weinstein’s contributions. “We should do of ourselves what we ask of the Democratic Party if these allegations have merit,” Graham [said on ABC’s _This Week_ Sunday morning](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/gop-senators-party-returning-wynn-money-52664590). “I don’t think we should have a double standard for ourselves.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5122174/steve-wynn-contribution-donations/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5122174/steve-wynn-contribution-donations/"},"headline":"Republican Congresswoman Donates Contribution from Steve Wynn Amid Allegations of Sexual Misconduct","datePublished":"2018-01-28T20:41:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-30T12:31:59.742Z","description":"Other Republican lawmakers called on their colleagues to donate any contributions from Wynn","url":"https://time.com/5122174/steve-wynn-contribution-donations/","keywords":["onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1beb918556906d05/6988f9bf8fd2ee2f1f35a787/steve-wynn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jennifer Calfas","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Alana Abramson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1beb918556906d05/6988f9bf8fd2ee2f1f35a787/steve-wynn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Wynn Resorts Ltd. 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