Wynn Resorts Chairman and CEO Steve Wynn is alleged to have hand-delivered a letter to Donald Trump on behalf of the Chinese government urging the US President to deport billionaire whistleblower Guo Wengui.
An investigation by the Wall Street Journal this week claims that Mr Wynn handed the letter to the President at a private dinner, with Mr Trump subsequently calling for Guo’s deportation at an Oval Office policy meeting in June due to allegations of bribery and other serious crimes contained in the letter. Guo, who has threatened to release evidence of corruption by Chinese officials after fleeing his home country in 2015, is now seeking asylum in the US.
Although the President later decided against deportation – reportedly after discovering that Guo was a member of his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida – the alleged involvement of Mr Wynn is said to be an attempt to win favor with Beijing given the casino tycoon’s significant interests in Macau. Wynn Resorts boast two integrated resorts in Macau including Wynn Palace – the US$4.2 billion property that opened in August 2016.
Wynn Macau Ltd generated 71.9% of Wynn Resorts’ global revenue in 2Q17, up more than 70% year-on-year to US$1.1 billion.
Wynn Resorts have denied any involvement by Mr Wynn with a company representative telling the Wall Street Journal, “That report regarding Mr Wynn is false. Beyond that, he doesn’t have any comment.”
Nevertheless, Guo’s exile continues to test US-China relations with the US government yet to make a final decision on his application for asylum. The situation was further complicated by an incident in May which saw officials from China’s Ministry of State Security visit Guo in his New York apartment despite having no authority to conduct official business on US soil.
Guo recorded the confrontation, which included threats against him, and posted some of it online which prompted FBI agents to confront the Chinese officials and warn them off. When they ignored those warnings and paid a second visit to Guo a few days later, FBI agents considered arresting the officials at New York’s JFK airport before their departure but ultimately opted against it for fear of sparking a major diplomatic incident.
