The man who was arrested with firearms over the weekend outside a rally for former President Donald Trump in California is speaking out about the arrest after the county’s sheriff said he believes that it was an “assassination attempt.”
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said 49-year-old Vem Miller was stopped Saturday evening in a black SUV and was found “to be illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine.”
Miller, who is a registered Republican, told the media after he was released from jail that he is a Trump supporter and that he was “shocked” by the accusations that he was being viewed as a potential assassin.
“These accusations are complete bulls***,” Miller said. “I’m an artist, I’m the last person that would cause any violence and harm to anybody.”
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco addressed Miller’s remarks during a press conference, saying that he did not care what he had to say because it had no bearing on the investigation.
Miller was taken into custody without incident and booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center for possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine. Miller was offered bail and was released after posting the $5,000, the New York Post reported.
The Trump campaign, in a statement to The Daily Wire, praised the work of local law enforcement in securing the venue.
“We are aware of news reports about the arrest and are currently monitoring the situation and gathering more information,” the campaign said.
Bianco said at a press conference Sunday evening that the vehicle had “an obviously fake license plate,” which sparked further investigation.
“During that investigation, the deputy eventually found multiple passports with multiple names, multiple driver’s licenses with different names, the vehicle was unregistered and the license plate was what we in law enforcement would recognize as one that is homemade and indicative of a group of individuals that claim to be sovereign citizens,” he continued.
“I truly do believe that we prevented another assassination attempt,” he added.
Miller reportedly denied in an interview with a reporter that he was a member of any kind of sovereign citizen group.
A joint federal law enforcement statement was released Sunday indicating that federal authorities are aware of the incident and are investigating.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office U.S. Secret Service and FBI are aware of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office’s arrest on Saturday,” the statement said. “The U.S. Secret Service assesses that the incident did not impact protective operations and former President Trump was not in any danger.”
“While no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing,” the statement continued. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Secret Service and FBI extend their gratitude to the deputies and local partners who helped ensure the safety of last night’s events.”