WASHINGTON �� Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina senators said Sunday that their party should return money received from billionaire Steve Wynn, who resigned Saturday as Republican National Committee finance chairman after allegations of sexual harassment.
Wynn, founder of Wynn Resorts, quit after a Wall Street Journal story Friday detailed harassment allegations from several women. They include details that Wynn paid $7.5 million to settle claims brought by a former manicurist at his Las Vegas resort, who said he pressured her to have sex with him, the Journal said.
"The allegations against him are very serious," Collins said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." If Republicans have accepted contributions recently from him that haven't been spent, "absolutely" they should return them, she said. "I don't even think it's a close call to return the money.
Graham said on ABC's "This Week" that "we should do of ourselves what we ask of the Democratic Party, if these allegations have merit. So I don't think we should have a double standard for ourselves."
Republicans have criticized Democrats for accepting money from the movie producer Harvey Weinstein, a prolific fundraiser for the party. In response to the allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said in October that "returning his money should be a no-brainer."
McDaniel issued a one-sentence statement Saturday acknowledging Wynn's resignation that didn't reference the harassment allegations.
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(Bill Allison and John McCormick contributed to this report.)
