The man who was arrested outside Donald Trump’s rally in Coachella for illegal possession of firearms insists he would never hurt the former president.
Vem Miller vehemently denies he had any plans to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee, who has already experienced two prior assassination attempts. Miller, who was arrested Saturday at a checkpoint outside the rally for illegally possessing two firearms, described himself as a complete supporter of Trump.
“Trump has been one of my top few inspirations and he's one of the few people if he were to really be shot by somebody, I’d be the first person to jump in front of that bullet because I feel as though the work that is doing is very important for the future of this country,” Miller told NBC4.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said Miller’s vehicle was stopped outside the rally near the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive. Officials said he had a handgun, a shotgun and a high-capacity magazine. Additionally, the man is accused of traveling in an unregistered vehicle and being in possession of multiple passports and identification cards with different names.
“These were lawfully purchased guns where I have registered in Nevada,” said Miller, who is from Las Vegas. He added that he was unaware of California’s different firearm laws and that his passports and ID’s were all legitimate.
“The way they try to represent the story like they did some investigation and that sort of thing is pure nonsense, absolute nonsense,” Miller said.
Despite Miller maintaining his innocence, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he firmly believes the man intended to harm Trump.
“If he wants to say he was an innocent victim, then he also has to say how dumb it was to come out to believe that he could do all of those and try to get into that event with guns,” Bianco said. “I don’t care if he’s a supporter of President Trump.”
Miller said he is an investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker for his organization “The America Happens Network,” and said he had a special invitation to attend the rally.
He hopes there is a full investigation into Bianco’s accusations to clear his name. He also said he plans on suing the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for defamation.
