Vem Miller is a registered Republican who tried to present fake VIP credentials at a Trump rally on Saturday and then found himself arrested on illegal firearms charges.
The 49-year-old Las Vegas resident describes himself on LinkedIn as an ‘investigative journalist’ and is the cofounder of what appears to be a fringe, far-right website that vows to ‘rage against the mainstream media.’
On Saturday, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco claimed Miller was ‘probably’ seeking to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
But a source close to Trump campaign downplayed the threat and told DailyMaill.com that there was no assassination attempt.
Vem Miller, 49, was arrested Saturday near Donald Trump’s rally in Coachella, California after firearms and high capacity magazines were discovered in his car during a checkpoint search
Miller was stopped at a checkpoint near the former president’s rally in Coachella, California on Saturday. Police found a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine in his vehicle.
According to Sheriff Bianco, he also had multiple passports and drivers licenses with different names in his car.
Deputies noticed that the interior of Miller’s vehicle was in ‘quite disarray.’
‘The vehicle had a an obviously fake license plate, and that prompted further investigation from our deputy into why the person was where… and what he was doing,’ said Bianco.
‘During that investigation, the deputy eventually found multiple passports with multiple names, multiple driver’s license with different names, the vehicle was unregistered,’ he went on.
In addition, he said the license plate was ‘homemade.’
Bianco doubled down during a Sunday press conference, saying ‘I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt’ and called Miller a political ‘lunatic.’
He said his office is working closely with the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service.
Miller was taken into custody but as of Sunday posted $5,000 bail and was released.
According to a still-active Facebook page and his LinkedIn profile, Miller ran for assemblyman in Nevada’s 13th District in 2022.
Through his work as a ‘content producer,’ Miller says he ‘learned a lot about politics, and how the world of politics is run, often to the detriment of We The People.’
His goal, he claims on LinkedIn, is to ‘restore out constitutional rights, including 2A,’ which references Second Amendment rights to possess firearms, and ‘stop voter fraud.’
Miller is a Las Vegas resident, proponent of the Second Amendment and self-described investigative journalist. The registered Republican is pictured here with Jacob Chansley, who is known as QAnon Shaman after his image went viral of him in viking garb rioting at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021
At his outdoor rallies, Donald Trump speaks behind a more obvious perimeter of bullet proof glass ever since the assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. Pictured: Trump at his Coachella, California rally on October 12, 2024
Vem Miller ran for an assemblyman position in Nevada in 2022, according to Facebook and his LinkedIn profile
‘This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event,’ the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office insisted in a statement.
But Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told Southern California News Group: ‘We probably stopped another assassination attempt.’
Bianco, a known Trump supporter, told the outlet that Miller presented fake VIP and press passes at the checkpoint, which is what led to the search.
Miller was found to be in illegal possession of the firearms, magazines and ammo when his black SUV was checked by law enforcement on Saturday.
He was booked at John Benoit Detention Center, made his $10,000 bail – $5,000 for each of two misdemeanors for which he was charged – and as of Sunday was no longer in custody.
Miller has his next court appearance set for January 2.
‘There was no assassination attempt in CA yesterday,’ a source close with Trump’s campaign told DailyMail.com. ‘A man at a perimeter checkpoint had a gun but there was no incident.’
The latest comes as Trump’s protective detail remains on high alert following two assassination attempts against the former president.
Miller posted to his Instagram profile an image with independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Vem Miller says he has more than 20 years of experience as ‘an investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker, and a content producer’ who cofounded fringe, far-right website America Happens
Thousands showed up for Trump’s campaign rally in Coachella, California on Saturday
The first came at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13 when 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks struck Trump in his right ear before being shot dead by Secret Service.
The would-be assassin killed one rally goer and critically injured two others with his rifle where he was crouched a few hundred feet from where Trump was speaking that day.
Then just two months later on September 15, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested in Florida as he fled the scene after the Secret Service fired at him.
Routh allegedly aimed a rifle at Trump while he was golfing at his club in West Palm Beach before the former president’s security detail saw the barrel of the firearm and deterred a second assassination attempt.
