Threatening the President and Other Officials: U.S. Code Basics
The statute criminalizing threats against the President and other federal officials can be found in Chapter 41 of the U.S. Code. This chapter covers several different types of threat-related offenses involving federal government officials, plus related offenses such as blackmail, extortion, and receiving kickbacks from public works employees. For the scope of this article, we will focus on threats against the President, the Vice President, and other government officials, including:
President-elect and Vice President-elect;
Any officer next in the order of succession to the President or Vice President;
Member of the immediate family of the President/Vice President or President-elect/Vice President-elect;
Any former President/Vice President or a member of the immediate family of a former President/Vice President;
A major candidate for the office of President or Vice President, or any of their immediate family members;
Anyone protected by the Secret Service; or
Any internationally protected person outside the United States who is a representative, officer, employee, or agent of the United States and a U.S. national.
For a violation of Chapter 41 to occur, a threat must be made to either kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon the President or other individuals protected by this statute.
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