Trump 'assassination bid' gunman's friend breaks silence with startling claim

Donald Trump was allegedly shot by Vem Miller, who was arrested near Mr Trump's rally in Coachella, California, for "illegal possession of a shotgun and a loaded handgun"

The alleged third would-be assassin of Donald Trump is "a huge Trump supporter," according to his close friend.

But Vem Miller, 49, was arrested near the politician's latest rally as police say they found him in illegal possession of a shotgun and a loaded handgun. He was driving a black SUV when he was stopped at a security checkpoint by police, who located the two firearms and a "high-capacity magazine".

Yet his friend, right-wing documentarian Mindy Robinson, insists Miller had no intention of killing the 78-year-old media personality. Mr Robinson said: "He's a big, huge Trump supporter. It's what we've been doing for years. He's my friend, we work together."

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he "truly believed" his officers had thwarted a third assassination attempt of Mr Trump, following the horrors near Butler, Pennsylvania when he was shot in the ear, and the scare on a golf course in Florida in September.

But contradicting the police's claims, the US Attorney's office stated that Trump was never in harm's way and dismissed any claims of an assassination attempt.

Mr Robinson, who with Miller set up independent news site AmericaHappens.com after repeatedly getting kicked off YouTube for their stories promoting conspiracy theories, blasted police.

"He had no intention to kill Trump. It's ridiculous. To me it feels like a setup, or really inadequate police work. A sh***y excuse to get in a car and try to find something wrong with a Trump supporter or something," Mr Robinson continued.

"It sounds like it was an excuse to get in the car, look at his sh** mess of a car, and that's when they found a gun. But every gun is illegal in California, it's stupid."

In a startling interview with MailOnline, Mr Robinson referred to the gun laws in California, which are stricter than those in other states. California even banned people from carrying firearms in most public places from January 1 this year.

Miller, a father of two, was charged with two misdemeanour weapons charges and was released on a $5,000 (£3,826) bail. No federal charges have been filed.

In a police news conference earlier on Sunday, Mr Bianco warned he might not be able to "give all of the information... because of what we're doing".

The sheriff added that as the suspect approached an outside perimeter, near the location of the rally, he "gave all indications that he was allowed to be there".

But as the suspect got to the inside perimeter, "many irregularities popped up", Sheriff Bianco added, explaining that the vehicle had a fake licence plate and was in "disarray" inside.