A Chinese citizen has been arrested after repeatedly attempting to gain access to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, according to Fox News. The suspect, Zijie Li, 38, from El Monte, California, claimed he had documents linking his home country's government to an assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
According to the Palm Beach Post, the alleged shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was killed by Secret Service agents after bullets he fired grazed Trump's ear and hit three of his supporters, resulting in the death of former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore. Following the assassination attempt, the Secret Service increased security around Trump's properties, including Mar-a-Lago, and closed South Ocean Boulevard adjacent to the estate.
Li's first attempt to enter Mar-a-Lago occurred on the night of July 19, when he drove up to the estate's main entrance in a gray Toyota Prius, claiming to have documents proving China's involvement in the assassination attempt. Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time, as he was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Republican National Convention. Secret Service agents informed Li that he was trespassing and issued a written warning, instructing him not to return.
(VOTE: Are You Supporting TRUMP Or KAMALA In November?)
Despite the warning, Li made several subsequent attempts to approach Mar-a-Lago. On July 22, security cameras captured him driving over the Royal Park Bridge multiple times. On July 30, Li was spotted driving toward Mar-a-Lago's security checkpoint, blocking a lane of traffic, with the estate's address displayed on his GPS. He was released after being warned again but returned less than an hour later. This time, Palm Beach Police and Secret Service agents stopped him and reiterated that he was not allowed on the property.
Li's persistence ultimately led to his arrest at an intersection north of Mar-a-Lago. Trump was not at the estate during the arrest but is scheduled to return over the weekend, according to a Federal Aviation Administration notice detailing temporary flight restrictions for "VIP movement" centered on Mar-a-Lago from Saturday evening through August 9.
!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/u9lmzn"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");
Rumble("play", {"video":"v56zhlh","div":"rumble_v56zhlh"});
This incident marks the second time a Chinese citizen has faced charges for attempting to access Mar-a-Lago. In 2019, a young Chinese woman was arrested after allegedly lying to gain entry to the club and claiming she wanted to discuss economic relations between China and the United States with Trump.
Court records indicate that Li used a Mandarin translator during his proceedings. The judge issued a no-contact order preventing Li from contacting Trump, anyone associated with him or his campaign, and from approaching Mar-a-Lago. Li's next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, August 5.
(FREE RED HAT: "Impeached. Arrested. Convicted. Shot. Still Standing")
