Vem Miller, a man from Nevada, was arrested enroute to a Donald Trump rally over the weekend in Coachella Valley, California. He was armed with several weapons and had an unregistered license plate.
Furthermore, he was identified as a member of the Sovereign Citizen movement, a far-right group known for its anti-government beliefs, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said on Sunday.
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According to the Independent, it looked to be a third assassination attempt on the former president. He was also in possession of fake passports, identity documents, and press credentials.
He has since been released on $5000 bail, USA Today reported, and per the Secret Service and other federal agencies, Trump was never in any real danger.
What is the Sovereign Citizen movement?
The sovereign citizen movement refers to a massive movement that rallies against the government, given that these activists believe it is a byproduct of a "conspiracy that subverted the original, lawful government," per ADL.
These members are also of the belief that they can distance themselves from the "illegitimate" government if they so wish, rendering them independent.
According to the FBI,
"Sovereign citizens are anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or “sovereign” from the United States. As a result, they believe they don’t have to answer to any government authority, including courts, taxing entities, motor vehicle departments, or law enforcement.
This group is mainly based in the States and abides by their own pseudo-legal belief system, contingent on misinterpretation of the law. They also claim that the government has no jurisdiction over them unless they consent to it. Referring to themselves as “travelers,” not “drivers,” the movement comprises litigants, tax protesters, financial scammers, and conspiracy theorists.
They also pay no heed to various forms of taxation, as well as Social Security numbers, driver's licenses, and vehicle registration. The movement was first born in the US in the '70s, and has since made its way to other countries, like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, in more serious instances, these activists can also indulge in committing murder and physical assault, threatening judges, law enforcement professionals, and government personnel, impersonating police officers and diplomats, and even engineering various white-collar scams, like mortgage fraud and so-called “redemption” schemes.
Vem Miller says there was no way he was going to assassinate Trump
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, an elected official and a Trump-supporting Republican who also doubled as a representative for his campaign, said that he would not be able to "give all of the information... because of what we're doing". In speaking about the Sovereign Movement group, he added, per BBC,
"They are certainly considered a far-Right group. I wouldn't say it's a militant group. It's just a group that doesn't believe in government and government control. They don't believe that government and laws apply to them."
According to the Independent, in speaking about the assassination attempt on Trump, Vem Miller has outright denied all the allegations against him, noting that he's "an artist" and "the last person that would cause any violence and harm to anybody.”
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