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U.S. accuses Steve Wynn of acting as Chinese agent
STORY: The U.S. Justice Department has sued casino tycoon Steve Wynn, accusing the American billionaire of acting as an agent for the Chinese government.The Justice Department’s Tuesday civil lawsuit alleges Wynn lobbied then-President Donald Trump in 2017 at Beijing’s request, quote, “out of a desire to protect his business interests in Macau.”That city is home to a Wynn Resorts luxury hotel and casino.The suit states that the former Wynn Resorts CEO asked Trump to cancel the visa of an unnamed Chinese businessperson who had sought asylum in the U.S., after leaving China in 2014 and being charged with corruption.It further seeks a declaratory judgment requiring Wynn to register as an agent of China under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).The Justice Department alleges it had advised Wynn to register under FARA at least three times, but that he declined to do so.They say Wynn acted on behalf of Sun Lijun, a former vice minister in China’s Ministry of Public Security, and had multiple discussions with senior White House officials about organizing a meeting with Sun and other Chinese representatives.Wynn’s lawyers have denied the allegations, saying he never acted as an agent of the Chinese government and had no obligation to register under FARA.They further argued that they disagreed with the department’s legal interpretation of FARA and looked forward to proving their case in court.