§ 351. Congressional, Cabinet, and Supreme Court assassination, kidnapping, and assault; penalties
(a)
Whoever kills any individual who is a Member of Congress or a Member-of-Congress-elect, a member of the executive branch of the Government who is the head, or a person nominated to be head during the pendency of such nomination, of a department listed in section
101 of title
5 or the second ranking official in such department, the Director (or a person nominated to be Director during the pendency of such nomination) or Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, a major Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate (as defined in section
3056 of this title), or a Justice of the United States, as defined in section
451 of title
28, or a person nominated to be a Justice of the United States, during the pendency of such nomination, shall be punished as provided by sections
1111 and
1112 of this title.
(b)
Whoever kidnaps any individual designated in subsection (a) of this section shall be punished
(2)
by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life, if death results to such individual.
(c)
Whoever attempts to kill or kidnap any individual designated in subsection (a) of this section shall be punished by imprisonment for any term of years or for life.
(d)
If two or more persons conspire to kill or kidnap any individual designated in subsection (a) of this section and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be punished
(2)
by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life, if death results to such individual.
(e)
Whoever assaults any person designated in subsection (a) of this section shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the assault involved the use of a dangerous weapon, or personal injury results, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
(f)
If Federal investigative or prosecutive jurisdiction is asserted for a violation of this section, such assertion shall suspend the exercise of jurisdiction by a State or local authority, under any applicable State or local law, until Federal action is terminated.
(g)
Violations of this section shall be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistance may be requested from any Federal, State, or local agency, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force, any statute, rule, or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding.
(h)
In a prosecution for an offense under this section the Government need not prove that the defendant knew that the victim of the offense was an individual protected by this section.