Republicans pushed hard for Democrats to return Harvey Weinstein’s donations; now it’s time to put their own campaign cash where their mouths were.
Casino mogul Steve Wynn quit the Republican National Committee on Saturday after getting hit with extensive sexual-harassment charges. It doesn’t matter whether the claims are as extensive as Harvey’s baggage; they’re serious enough: GOP politicians and party groups have to get rid of the dough.
They don’t have to give the windfall to left-leaning outfits (as several Democrats self-servingly did post-Weinstein). But they need to do the right thing, right away — not dawdle pointlessly for days.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) were the first to face the new reality on the Sunday shows. Other Republicans may grumble that she’s a moderate and he’s a media darling; so what? They’re plainly right.
Otherwise, Democrats won’t stop invoking the words of the Republican chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, namely: “If you stand for treating women well and you stand for the respect of women, you shouldn’t take money from somebody who treated women with the absolute highest level of disrespect.”
Rep. Karen Handel (R-Ga.) got the ball rolling by re-gifting $2,700 to a Georgia nonprofit that aids domestic-violence and sex-abuse victims. The rest of the party should follow, including the RNC (at least 65 grand) and the GOP’s Senate committee ($100,000).
Yes, Wynn has denied the allegations, and he’s innocent until proven guilty. But that’s not the standard McDaniel and other Republicans set when they were maximizing the Democrats’ pain — and the magnate’s RNC exit tells enough of a story.
It may not be clear how all the #MeToo changes will shake out, but blatant hypocrisy is always a losing strategy.