Legal troubles may be heating up yet again for disgraced casino owner Steve Wynn, though this time the charges are of a different nature from the accusations of sexual harassment he faced during the height of the #MeToo movement: he has been sued by the US Department of Justice in an attempt to compel him to register as an agent of China under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
The reasoning for the suit dates back to the early Trump years. In 2017, Wynn reached out to then-president Donald Trump, as well as to members of his administration, in an effort to pass along a message from the Chinese government.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) – a body synonymous with state policy – was hoping that the American government would cancel the visa, or just simply remove, a businessperson who had sought asylum in the United States. The CCP is well-known throughout the world for its arbitrary and heavy-handed administration of justice.
In serving the interests of the CCP in such a manner, the Justice Department is aiming to force Wynn – who is a major Republican donor – to register his status as an agent both of the People’s Republic of China and as an official working for China’s Ministry of Public Security, the internal law enforcement body in the country.
According to Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen: “The filing of this suit – the first affirmative civil lawsuit under FARA in more than three decades – demonstrates the department’s commitment to ensuring transparency in our democratic system.”
The man sought by the Chinese government is Guo Wengui. He has been accused of criminal offenses, including sexual assault and bribery.
China is the major geo-political rival of the United States. The two nations compete on economic sway, technological innovation, and military might.
For his part, Wynn’s company had extended holdings in Macau, a Chinese-controlled protectorate.
Still, his lawyers deny any wrongdoing. In a statement they said the following: “Steve Wynn has never acted as an agent of the Chinese government and had no obligation to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. We respectfully disagree with the Department of Justice’s legal interpretation of FARA and look forward to proving our case in court.”