An armed suspect arrested on weapons charges on his way to Donald Trump's California rally called the charges Sunday “bullshit” and denied claims by a local sheriff that he wanted to kill the former president.
Vem Miller, 49, was handcuffed at a checkpoint near a Coachella Valley rally on Saturday afternoon, a day after two guns and ammunition were found in his car, saying he supported Trump, according to reports. It is reported that he claimed to be a person.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he “sincerely” believes deputies thwarted a third assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Miller. told the Southern California News Group. On Sunday, he said he was “shocked” by the allegations.
“These accusations are completely bogus,” Miller told the news outlet. “I'm an artist. I would never commit violence or harm to anyone.”
Miller, who The Post's sources say is a member of a far-right anti-government group, was invited to the rally by the Clark County Republican Party chairman and was wearing a President Trump shirt and hat when he was encountered by authorities at the venue. said. Checkpoint.
Miller told local media that the weapons, a shotgun and a loaded handgun, were purchased in 2022 for personal protection.
He told deputies he was carrying the firearm in the trunk as a courtesy before being pulled over and removed from the vehicle, he said. He then claimed his vehicle was “ransacked” after a deputy contacted him to confirm that the gun was legally purchased.
Miller, a registered Republican who ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 Nevada election, also denied presenting a fake press pass at the checkpoint, as the sheriff claimed, but instead issued a “special admission pass.” The paper reported that it had been presented.
The Last Vegas resident told the magazine that he was not told why he was being detained and was only allowed to call a lawyer after being detained for hours. He later said he recalled the incident in front of FBI and Secret Service agents, who reportedly attempted to interview him.
Lawmakers then told Miller, who runs an organization that criticizes mainstream media, that the sit-in with federal authorities had been called off, he claimed.
Miller was charged with weapons charges and illegal possession of a firearm and was released on $5,000 bail. In an interview with a local newspaper, he said he was unaware of any differences in gun laws between California and his home state of Nevada.
He could face additional charges from federal law enforcement. But the Secret Service believes it is unlikely that Miller was trying to assassinate the 45th president, and the FBI is not investigating the matter as a whole, people told the Post.
The Secret Service said Trump was not in any danger during the rally.
“The U.S. Secret Service assesses that this incident did not impact protection efforts and that former President Trump was not in any danger,” the agency and the FBI said in a joint statement. “No federal arrests have been made at this time, but the investigation is ongoing.”
But Bianco, the local sheriff, said common sense and reason would suggest the suspect had President Trump in his sights.
“The way I look at it now, there probably was an agent who thwarted the third assassination attempt,” he said, adding that Miller hid a fake passport and driver's license at the checkpoint.
Miller is also said to have had a false license plate and was driving an unregistered vehicle.
Bianco also said the suspect claimed to be a journalist and had VIP access to Trump's events, but failed to provide proper documentation.
“If we're that politically lost, we've lost sight of common sense and reality and reason, and we're thinking, 'Oh my God, why did he show up with all that stuff and a load of guns?' “And I would be accused of being dramatic. There are serious, serious problems in this country. This is common sense, it's reasonable,” the sheriff said. He made this comment in response to a reporter's question about whether his remarks were overly dramatic.
According to the Southern California News Group, Riverside's top police officer also accused Miller of being part of the so-called Sovereign People's Movement, which doesn't believe in the government or the law, a charge Miller strongly rejects.
President Trump has been confirmed as the target of two assassination attempts in just three months.
The former president was struck in the ear by gunman Matthew Thomas Crooks' bullet during a rally in Pennsylvania in July. And in September, Ryan Routh was accused of hiding with a gun around President Trump's golf course in Florida and trying to kill him before the Secret Service could find him.
