Lawyer Tells Trump the Constitution Is Unclear on Third Term, WSJ Reports

WASHINGTON, Dec 17 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump discussed a draft copy of a book by lawyer Alan Dershowitz that examines whether Trump could constitutionally serve a third term as president, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Dershowitz, who represented late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, told the Journal he gave Trump the draft during an Oval Office meeting, telling the president the Constitution is 'not clear' on whether he can serve a third term.

"I said 'it's not clear if a president can become a third-term president, and it's not clear if it's permissible,'" Dershowitz said in an interview with the Journal.

"He found it interesting as an intellectual issue," Dershowitz said. "Do I think he's going to run for a third term? No, I don't think he will run for a third term."

Dershowitz said he showed a draft of his book to billionaire Trump donor Miriam Adelson, who made headlines at a White House Hanukkah party on Tuesday when she appeared to offer to donate $250 million for a third-term bid.

Trump said in October that he would not pursue a third term in what was a marked shift after months of teasing the idea of testing the Constitution's language on the topic. "If you read it, it's pretty clear -- I'm not allowed to run. It's too bad, but we have a lot of great people," Trump said at the time.

Asked about the Journal report on Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said "the American people would be lucky to have President Trump in office for even longer."