A suspect arrested with two loaded guns outside a Trump rally in Coachella last weekend was arrested after a sheriff claimed his deputies thwarted a man who tried to assassinate the former president. He said he plans to sue Riverside County.
Bem Miller, 49, told the Times in a phone interview Monday that he brought two weapons to the rally to protect himself, and said he brought two weapons to the rally for his own media company, America Happens Network. He said he received death threats in response to his work. He said Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco made false claims about himself at a weekend news conference.
“Everything they said about me was false and has been proven true,” Miller told the Times. “Unfortunately, it appears he committed suicide with his career on the line.”
Miller added that he is hiring an attorney to prepare a “major lawsuit” against the county. “As of this moment, I have been able to prove that everything they said is not true. It’s only going to get worse. … That sheriff is going to lose his job.”
Bianco told reporters Sunday that his agents had “presumably thwarted another assassination plot.”
But authorities investigating the armed man arrested outside a Trump rally in Coachella on Saturday have so far found no evidence that he planned to kill President Trump.
Miller has been released on $5,000 bail as federal authorities continue to investigate, and officials said the gun possession charge that led to Saturday’s arrest remains the focus for now. . Miller told the Times he was released without bail and only received a ticket.
Miller, of Los Angeles, was booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of possession of a loaded firearm, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. He has since been released on bail pending his appearance in court.
Around 5 p.m. Saturday, officers searched Miller’s black SUV at a checkpoint at 52nd Avenue and Celebration Drive in Coachella and found a gun, authorities said.
Bianco said at a news conference Sunday that his lieutenants likely thwarted the assassination attempt, but acknowledged that “nobody will ever really know what’s going on in (the suspect’s) head.” .
But the people, who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said they had found no evidence that Mr. Miller intended to harm the former president. They stressed that the investigation is ongoing and further facts may be discovered.
Bem Miller, 49, told the Times in a phone interview Monday that she brought two weapons to the Trump rally for self-defense and said she had received death threats.
(Vem Miller)
Asked whether labeling Miller as a would-be assassin was speculation, Bianco said he suspected someone who brought guns and fake ID to political rallies was intent on harming people. said it was “common sense”. But the sheriff showed no evidence of an assassination plot.
Miller told the Times that he supports Trump and has no intention of harming him.
“To comply with my First Amendment rights, I transport firearms in my truck,” he said.
Miller told the Times that he identifies primarily as a liberal, but has supported former Democratic President Barack Obama in the past. He opposed Republican George W. Bush and many of his policies, including the Patriot Act and the Iraq War. Around 2015, Miller said, he became disillusioned with Obama and began supporting Trump.
“I liked that he assumed a lot of the consistent power that drove us into unnecessary wars and unnecessary debt,” he said.
Miller said he was at Coachella as a journalist to cover the rally.
The Secret Service issued a statement Sunday afternoon saying the former president was not in danger.
“The U.S. Secret Service assesses that this incident did not impact protection efforts and that former President Trump was not in any danger. No federal arrests have been made at this time. , the investigation is ongoing,” the statement said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Secret Service, and the FBI would like to thank our members of Congress and our local partners who helped ensure the security of last night’s event.”
Bianco said Miller drove his SUV around a perimeter controlled by sheriff’s deputies before being questioned at a checkpoint near the entrance to the rally. Mr. Miller claimed to be eligible to attend the rally as both a journalist and a VIP guest, but was unable to provide documentation.
Deputy Miller noticed “numerous irregularities” in Bianco’s SUV. The license plate was forged, the vehicle was unregistered and the interior was in “disarray,” the sheriff said.
A search of the SUV revealed fake passports and driver’s licenses with different names, as well as guns and ammunition, Bianco said.
Bianco said he identified the suspect as Miller with an “asterisk” because he had identification with multiple names. The suspect told police his name was Vem Miller, the sheriff’s office said.
Bianco said handmade license plates “indicate individuals who claim to be sovereign citizens,” referring to an ideology whose adherents do not consider government authorities to be legitimate. Bianco argued that it is irrelevant that most sovereign citizens espouse far-right beliefs.
Miller’s social media also appears to show support for Trump.
After the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania at a Trump rally, Trump posted on Instagram: “I will fight as hard as I can for the next four years to help this country and this person.” Along with the comment, he posted a photo of President Trump with blood running down his ear and his fist raised.
Miller also posted photos of himself with various Republican politicians and celebrities, including Donald Trump Jr. and Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
Miller said on her website that she attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where she studied English and creative writing while also taking film classes.
“I create content in the form of television, film, documentaries, music videos, podcasts, and other media production formats. I am actively involved in politics and work with candidates on every platform to make positive “We support people who want to make a difference,” he wrote on his site.
Miller worked in Hollywood for many years, directing music videos for John Mayer, Trey Songz, and other artists. He is credited as the director of the video for the DMX rap classic “Where the Hood At?”
A friend of Miller’s who worked with him at the advocacy group America Happens also insisted that Miller had no intention of killing the former president.
“There is no universe in which his intention was to kill Trump. He has worked too hard in this movement to expose the deep state and all those who oppose him,” Mindy Robinson said on X I wrote this.
“As a 2A supporter, ask me if I would do that about a good guy with a gun in a dangerous hole like California, when we both get invited to events like this as media. , I don’t even understand why his passes would be fake.”
In a bizarre federal court complaint against his ex-wife, Miller claimed that she kidnapped his children and took them to Britain.
Miller, who was working in Canada at the time, claimed that Canadian judges and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau worked to prevent her from getting her children back.
“Prime Minister Trudeau was also involved in my case and helped prevent any form of justice within Canada’s courts,” Miller wrote.
