Retired Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz told President Trump the Constitution was "not clear" about whether Trump could serve a third term, the Wall Street Journal reported. The remark came during a Tuesday discussion while they reviewed a draft of a book Dershowitz wrote examining the question. The 22nd Amendment states that no one may be elected president more than twice, though the book reportedly explores narrowly framed legal arguments and hypothetical scenarios.
Dershowitz Tells Trump the Constitution Is 'Not Clear' on a Third Term, WSJ Reports
American lawyer Alan Dershowitz returns to the courtroom for the criminal trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump after a short break at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, U.S., 20 May 2024. Michael M. Santiago/Pool via REUTERS
Retired Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz told President Donald Trump that the U.S. Constitution is "not clear" about whether Trump could serve a third term, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 17.
Dershowitz made the remark during a Tuesday meeting in which the two reviewed a draft of a book he wrote that examines legal arguments over whether a president could constitutionally serve a third term. The report says the comment came in the context of discussing the draft's analysis, not as a definitive legal conclusion.
22nd Amendment: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice."
The 22nd Amendment clearly bars anyone from being elected president more than twice, but some legal commentators have explored narrow interpretations and hypothetical scenarios that they say raise questions about how the amendment would apply in unusual circumstances. The Wall Street Journal said Dershowitz's book explores those arguments; the newspaper reported the exchange on Wednesday.
Reporting by Jasper Ward; writing by David Ljunggren; editing by Chris Reese. Source: The Wall Street Journal.
