2.36 THREATS AGAINST THE PRESIDENT / 18 U.S.C. Sec. 871 is a federal criminal statute that prohibits any person from knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of, or to inflict bodily harm upon, the President of the United States. This statute applies to any person in the United States or any citizen of the United States wherever they may be. The statute also applies to any foreign national who is present in the United States. There are two types of threats covered by this statute: direct threats and conditional threats. Direct threats are defined as those statements which indicate an intent to harm the President, while conditional threats are those which state that the President will be harmed if a certain condition is not met. Violation of this statute is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.