DOJ wants Steve Wynn to register as foreign lobbyist

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is reportedly preparing a legal case to force Las Vegas billionaire Steve Wynn to register as a lobbyist for a foreign country, though the casino mogul claims he never lobbied the U.S. government to extradite a businessman wanted in China.

The Justice Department, under Attorney General Merrick Garland, wants Wynn to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as a lobbyist for China, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The former CEO and chairman of Wynn Resorts Ltd., Wynn was a major donor to President Donald Trump and became Republican National Committee finance chairman after Trump’s election.

In 2017, Wynn urged the Justice Department under Trump to extradite Guo Wengui, wanted in China for crimes that include bribery, in a bid to curry favor with the Chinese government, according to the Journal.

Wynn, through his Las Vegas secretary, declined to comment. His Washington attorney, Reid Weingarten, did not respond to a request for comment.

But Weingarten told the Wall Street Journal that “Wynn never served as an agent or lobbyist for China or anyone else.”

“He was merely a loyal messenger of information he received to our government,” Weingarten said. “Any effort to pursue him in any way for this conduct would be both a miscarriage of justice and an unwarranted extension of the FARA statute.”

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

According to the news report, the agency is preparing a lawsuit to force Wynn’s registration.

In 2018, Wynn was forced to step down from his role as RNC finance chairman and as chief executive of Wynn Resorts following sexual misconduct allegations from numerous women and former employees. He denied the allegations.

In addition to casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, Wynn Resorts also owns casinos in Macao, a Chinese territory and a global gaming destination.

Guo fled China in 2014. He owns property in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where Trump resides and is also an associate of Steve Bannon, a Trump adviser.

Bannon was on Guo’s yacht when arrested by federal authorities last year on charges of defrauding donors to an effort to build portions of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Guo welcomed the investigation into Wynn.

“I am glad to hear the DOJ is investigating Steve Wynn and frankly believe they should criminally indict him for serving as a greedy spy of the Chinese Communist Party,” Guo told the Wall Street Journal.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter. Review-Journal reporter Rick Velotta contributed to this report.