(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.
Will Drabold writes at Time:
Donald Trump’s comments Tuesday about “Second Amendment people”could be considered a “veiled threat” against Hillary Clinton, a former top Secret Service official told TIME.
The official said that if they were still working at the U.S. Secret Service, they would contact someone on Trump’s campaign staff to have a conversation about whether he understands the consequences of that rhetoric.
At a rally in Wilmington, N.C., Trump said that if elected Clinton would get to appoint federal judges to lifetime positions, including a vacant seat on the Supreme Court.
“If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know,” Trump said.
The former Secret Service official said they would ask a U.S. attorney to see if Trump broke any laws with the comment.
“Look, this guy is coming pretty close to the edge here,” the official said.
Among fringe groups, "Second Amendment remedy" means "armed insurrection."
