Vem Miller is a registered Republican who tried to present fake VIP credentials at a Trump rally on Saturday, but was instead arrested on charges of illegally possessing a firearm.
The 49-year-old Vegas resident describes himself on LinkedIn as an “investigative journalist” and is the co-founder of what appears to be a fringe, far-right website that vows to “rage against the mainstream media.”
On Saturday, the Riverside County Sheriff said Miller “probably” tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
However, a source close to the Trump campaign downplayed the threat and told DailyMaill.com there was no assassination attempt.
Vem Miller, 49, was arrested Saturday near Donald Trump's rally in Coachella, California, after a checkpoint search of his car discovered firearms and high-capacity magazines
Miller was stopped at a checkpoint near the former president's Coachella, Calif., rally on Saturday. Police found a shotgun, a high-capacity magazine and a loaded handgun in his vehicle.
He was detained, but on Sunday he posted bail and was released.
Miller is running for assembly in Nevada's 13th District in 2022, according to his still-active Facebook page and LinkedIn profile.
Miller says that through his work as a “content producer” he has “learned a lot about politics and how the world of politics is run, often to the detriment of We The People.”
His goal, he says on LinkedIn, is to “restore constitutional rights, including 2A,” which invokes the Second Amendment right to bear firearms, and “stop voter fraud.”
Miller is a Las Vegas resident, Second Amendment supporter and self-proclaimed investigative journalist. The registered Republican is pictured with Jacob Chansley, known as the QAnon Shaman after his photo went viral showing him in a Viking costume during the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Donald Trump has been advocating for a more visible area of bulletproof glass at his outdoor rallies since the July 13 attack on him in Butler, Pennsylvania. Pictured: Trump at a rally in Coachella, California, on October 12, 2024.
Vem Miller was running for Nevada assemblyman in 2022, according to Facebook and his LinkedIn profile
“This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or event participants,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office insisted in a statement.
But Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told the Southern California News Group, “We probably stopped another assassination attempt.”
Bianco, a known Trump supporter, told the website that Miller showed fake VIP and press passes at the checkpoint, which led to the search.
He will hold a press conference to inform the public about the incident on Sunday at 6 p.m. EST.
When law enforcement checked his black SUV on Saturday, they found Miller was illegally in possession of firearms, magazines and ammunition.
He was placed in the detention center named after John Benoit, posted bail of $10,000 – $5,000 for each of the two misdemeanors he was charged with – and remained in custody as of Sunday. he is no longer in custody.
Miller's next court appearance is scheduled for January 2.
“There was no attack in California yesterday,” a source close to the Trump campaign told DailyMail.com. “The man at the checkpoint had a gun, but no incident occurred.”
The latest news comes as Trump's bodyguards remain on high alert following two assassination attempts on the former president.
Miller posted a photo on his Instagram profile 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 content producer” who co-founded the far-right website America Happens
On Saturday, thousands of people showed up at a Trump campaign rally in Coachella, California
The first occurred on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks struck Trump in the right ear and was then shot by the Secret Service. The would-be assassin killed one rally attendee and seriously wounded two others with a rifle while crouching several hundred meters from where Trump was speaking that day.
Just two months later, on August 15, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested in Florida when he fled a scene where the Secret Service fired upon him.
Routh allegedly pointed a rifle at Trump while he was playing golf at his West Palm Beach club before the former president's security team spotted the gun's barrel and stopped a second assassination attempt.
Law enforcement snipers observed Trump's rally at the Calhoun Ranch on Saturday, October 12
