The Department of Justice has sued casino mogul Stephen A. Wynn to compel him to register as an agent for the Chinese government, the DOJ announced Tuesday.

Politico report

On multiple occasions, Wynn, a Republican donor who has been embroiled in scandal in recent years, conveyed to then-President Donald Trump the Chinese government’s request that the U.S. remove a Chinese businessperson who was seeking asylum in America, according to the complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday. The Department claimed that Wynn was acting to protect business interests in Macau, a special administrative region of China.

The move — the latest development in the DOJ’s ramp-up of the Foreign Agents Registration Act enforcement — represents the first civil lawsuit under FARA that the Department has initiated in more than three decades. The DOJ alleged that Wynn was tasked with doing the bidding of the People’s Republic of China, and Sun Lijun, China’s former vice minister for public security.

Lawyers who have represented Wynn did not immediately return a request for comment.

Wynn became involved in the scheme after Sun asked former Republican National Committee finance chair Elliott Broidy and others to lobby the administration on the matter around May 2017, the Justice Department claims. Broidy then enlisted Wynn as well, according to the complaint.

Wynn, another former RNC finance chair, had opened three casino properties in Macau, the DOJ said, adding that Broidy believed those dealings combined with his time at the RNC and friendship with Trump would make Wynn particularly useful with the matter.

Wynn conveyed the request at a dinner with Trump and other administration officials and sought meetings with administration officials and Trump himself, according to the complaint. The DOJ said his contacts included two former White House chiefs of staff and two senior NSC officials.

During a telephone call from a yacht between Wynn, Broidy and Trump, Wynn inquired about the request, and Trump said he would look into it, the complaint said.

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/17/wynn-justice-department-china-00033284