Screenshot // Youtube
American intelligence officials claim that the Chinese government is compiling a list of President Donald Trump’s influential friends in order to sway Trump's foreign policy views, a list which includes 1963 College graduate Steve Wynn.
According to a recent report from The New York Times, the 1968 Wharton graduate frequently confides in his close friends in phone calls made using an iPhone that allows foreign spies to listen in. Trump has two iPhones that are protected by the National Security Agency in order to limit their vulnerabilities, but his third is a personal phone that is not secured by federal agencies.
The Chinese government reportedly hope to use information from Trump's cellphone calls to stop the United States from moving forward with the trade war, the Times wrote, adding that Russian spies are "eavesdropping" as well.
Wynn, who stepped down from his position as CEO of Wynn Resorts in February after allegations of sexual misconduct from dozens of sources, was named the finance chairman of the Republican National Committee after Trump’s inauguration. Wynn, a 1963 College graduate and former Penn trustee, had his honorary degree rescinded by Penn weeks after the allegations surfaced. His name was also removed from the area outside Houston Hall formerly named “Wynn Commons.”
When contacted by The Times about Trump’s hacked phone calls, Wynn’s lawyer L. Lin Wood said that Wynn was retired and declined to comment.
Another high-profile figure on the list of people Trump regularly calls is Stephen A. Schwarzman, a financial executive who founded the prestigious Schwarzman Scholars, an international scholarship program that sends students to an all-expense-paid master's program in China every year.
On Oct. 25, Trump responded to the Times report on Twitter, criticizing the newspaper for insinuating that he used his iPhone for personal communication. “I only use Government Phones, and have only one seldom used government cell phone,” he said.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate