Republican donor Sheldon Adelson has offered to at least partially pay for the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, according to four U.S. officials.
The Trump administration is considering the offer while lawyers at the State Department look into the legality of accepting private donor money to cover the costs a new embassy, the Associated Press reported.
One official said the Las Vegas casino magnate and pro-Israel businessman has offered to pay the difference between the total cost of the embassy and the funds the administration is able to raise. The total cost is expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
If the State Department decides it’s legal to accept private donations to fund an embassy, the administration could look into obtaining other donors from Jewish-Americans.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has approved a security plan that will let the U.S. move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Officials said Tillerson signed the long-delayed plan on Thursday.
