US weighs billionaire philanthropist Sheldon Adelson’s offer to fund Jerusalem embassy

Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a strong supporter of the Jewish state, philanthropist and mega-donor to the Republican party, has offered to fund a new US embassy in Jerusalem.

By: AP 

The Trump administration is considering an offer from casino mogul and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson to pay for at least part of a new US embassy in Jerusalem, four US officials told The Associated Press.

Lawyers at the State Department are looking into the legality of accepting private donations to cover some or all of the embassy costs, the officials said. The discussions are occurring as the administration plans a ribbon-cutting for a scaled-down, temporary embassy that will open in May — more than a year ahead of schedule.

In one possible scenario, the administration would solicit contributions not only from Adelson but potentially from other donors in the evangelical Christian and American Jewish communities, too. One official said Adelson, a Las Vegas casino magnate, philanthropist and staunch Israel supporter, had offered to pay the difference between the total cost — expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars — and what the administration is able to raise.