«We avoided the third assassination attempt against Donald Trump». The words of the sheriff of Riverside County, California, arrive as yet another boulder on the election campaign less than a month before the vote after the arrest, on Saturday, of an armed man at the tycoon’s rally in Coachella, someone who appears to belong to him. for a well-known far-right group, called “Sovereign Citizens” (some of its members participated in the attack on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021).
Once again a disturbing fact that did not cause any victims but leaves many open questions about the political climate in the United States. The Vem Miller, 49 years old, this is the name given by the suspect which may be false, however, stopped on board an SUV and armed with a pistol and a high-capacity magazine, the heads which Joe Biden wants to ban, when he was already very close to where the stage was located, but before the tycoon arrived in the area. “The incident did not affect the former president’s security,” Sheriff Chad Bianco clarified at a press conference.
The man managed to pass the first checks, the finer ones, by pretending to be an accredited journalist; at the second checkpoint, however, the officers were suspicious. “The inside of the car was a mess, the license plate was false and several passports were found in the drawers”, explained the sheriff, as well as a membership card of “Sovereign Citizens”, a group whose language is known to the police. hatred and violence. «These are people who don’t believe in the government, people on the edge», explained the sheriff, stating that he is «a crazy person, in his opinion. It doesn’t matter which party.” At least one of their members, Taylor James Johnatakis, was sentenced to seven years for attacking police during the anti-Congress uprising four years ago. At his trial last year, the a judge who sentenced him was surprised by the man’s lack of remorse.
The reason for this third attempt to assassinate Trump within a few months – after Pennsylvania and Florida – is not yet known and the investigation has been taken over by the Secret Service and the FBI, which will on him, above all, to monitor the release of the person. bailed until a court hearing on November 2.
Two federal officials told CNN that there is currently no evidence to suggest that the man arrested for possession of a firearm near a Donald Trump rally Saturday in California was trying to assassinate the former president. In a joint statement with the FBI and the Department of Justice, the US Secret Service said “former President Trump was not at risk” at the rally.