The armed man arrested on weapons charges near Donald Trump’s California rally over the weekend has denied local police chief’s claims that he intended to kill the former president, calling the allegations “bullsh-t.”
Vem Miller, 49, claimed to be a Trump supporter a day after his arrest on Saturday afternoon near the Coachella Valley rally. Police had found two guns and ammunition in his vehicle at a checkpoint.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he “truly” believed the arrest prevented a third assassination attempt on Trump, but Miller told the Southern California News Group that he was “shocked” by the accusations.
“These accusations are complete bullsh-t,” Miller said. “I’m an artist, I’m the last person who would cause any violence or harm to anyone.”
Miller, who is affiliated with a far-right anti-government group, said he had been invited to the rally by the Clark County GOP Party chair and was wearing a Trump shirt and hat when police approached him at the checkpoint.
He said the guns, a shotgun and a loaded handgun, were purchased in 2022 for personal protection. Miller claimed he informed deputies that the firearms were in his trunk as a courtesy before being pulled over, and his car was searched after deputies wanted to confirm the guns were legally owned.
Miller, a registered Republican who ran for office in Nevada in 2022, also denied reports that he flashed a fake press pass at the checkpoint, instead offering a “special entry pass.”
The Las Vegas resident said he wasn’t told why he was detained and was only allowed to contact a lawyer after being held for hours. He said he later recalled the incident when interviewed by FBI and Secret Service agents, who reportedly wanted to question him.
Miller faced weapons charges for illegally possessing firearms and was released on $5,000 bail. In his interview, he said he wasn’t aware of the difference in gun laws between California and his home state of Nevada. He could face additional federal charges, though the Secret Service has stated it is unlikely Miller was planning an assassination.
“The US Secret Service assesses that the incident did not impact protective operations and former President Trump was not in any danger,” the agency and FBI said in a joint statement.
However, Sheriff Bianco insisted that common sense pointed to Miller potentially having Trump in his sights. “If you’re asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt,” he said, noting Miller also had a cache of fake passports, driver’s licenses, and a fake license plate.
Miller was also allegedly driving an unregistered vehicle and had claimed he was a journalist with VIP access to the Trump event but could not provide the necessary credentials.
Bianco argued that if people were to dismiss the seriousness of Miller’s actions, “we have a serious problem in this country.” He said, “If we are that politically lost that we can’t say, ‘What did he show up with all of that stuff for and loaded guns?’ then we have a real problem.”
