§ 879. Threats against former Presidents and certain other persons

623 words·~3 min read·/usc/title-18/section-879

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(a)Whoever knowingly and willfully threatens to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon—

(1)a former President or a member of the immediate family of a former President;

(2)a member of the immediate family of the President, the President-elect, the Vice President, or the Vice President-elect;

(3)a major candidate for the office of President or Vice President, or a member of the immediate family of such candidate; or

(4)a person protected by the Secret Service under section 3056(a)(6);

shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

(b)As used in this section—

(1)the term “immediate family” means—

(A)with respect to subsection (a)(1) of this section, the spouse of a former President during a former President’s lifetime, the surviving spouse of a former President until the surviving spouse’s death or remarriage, and minor children of a former President until they reach sixteen years of age; and

(B)with respect to subsection (a)(2) and (a)(3) of this section, a person to whom the President, President-elect, Vice President, Vice President-elect, or major candidate for the office of President or Vice President—

(i)is related by blood, marriage, or adoption; or

(ii)stands in loco parentis;

(2)the term “major candidate for the office of President or Vice President” means a candidate referred to in subsection (a)(7) of section 3056 of this title; and

(3)the terms “President-elect” and “Vice President-elect” have the meanings given those terms in section 871(b) of this title.

(Added Pub. L. 97–297, § 1(a), Oct. 12, 1982, 96 Stat. 1317; amended Pub. L. 98–587, § 3(a), Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 3111; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 106–544, § 2(a), (b)(1), Dec. 19, 2000, 114 Stat. 2715; Pub. L. 117–272, § 2, Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4181.)

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