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By Anna Commander, Khaleda Rahman, and Gabe Whisnant
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A man who was carrying ammunition and had a gun in his pickup truck was arrested at Donald Trump’s Los Angeles-area golf course on Sunday, after appearing to monitor security preparations days before the president was scheduled to attend a fundraiser there, authorities said.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, of Downey, was arrested as Trump prepared to arrive for the Republican National Committee dinner at the Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, just south of LA, on Tuesday, the LA County Sheriff’s Department announced.
Taele, a former U.S. Marine who served combat deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was charged with several felonies including second-degree robbery, receiving a large-capacity magazine and possession of a short-barreled rifle or shotgun, a felony with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
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He was also charged with carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, a misdemeanor.
No criminal charges have been announced related to the president, as of Wednesday afternoon.
Taele pleaded not guilty to all the charges Monday.
He was ordered to stay away from the golf course and not possess weapons. His bail was set at $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, Trump’s appointee as the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, said on X that Taele will make his initial appearance on that charge "soon after his transfer to federal custody."
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office told Newsweek Wednesday that Taele remains in state custody at a downtown Los Angeles jail and has not yet been transferred to federal authorities.
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“While we are still investigating the motives of this individual, we are thankful he was apprehended before the President’s visit,” Essayli said in a statement. “Federal and local law enforcement stepped in early and prevented what could have been a dangerous situation from occurring. This investigation remains ongoing.”
The incident comes amid an already heightened security environment surrounding Trump following previous threats and attempted attacks targeting him. Last year, a jury found a man guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at the president’s Florida country club. And while a candidate in 2024, Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by a shooter on a roof at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Speaking with Fox News @Night on Tuesday, Trump was asked about the arrest and ongoing security concerns, and said, "Well, the only thing I get a little solace from is they say only consequential presidents, and I am definitely consequential." He later went on to discuss foreign policy issues involving Iran.
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What To Know
The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said in a news release that as federal agents conducted a security assessment at the course near Los Angeles on Friday, Taele was seen walking throughout the course, wearing an earpiece and taking photographs and videos of federal agents’ activities.
He later left the area and drove away, but returned to the course on Sunday. He approached federal agents and said he was employed by the State Department and was there for a security detail.
According to the U.S. attorney's office, Taele said he had a loaded weapon in his vehicle and was arrested after it was searched. A search of his pickup truck in the golf course parking lot turned up a loaded 9mm pistol, a pair of binoculars and a badge that read “security protection agent.”
Taele's home in Downey was searched on Monday, and law enforcement seized a rifle and other firearms, magazines and ammunition, body armor and notebooks containing “concerning statements,” the U.S. attorney's office said. No details about the statements were released.
Armando Marquez, special agent in charge for the Los Angeles field office in the U.S. Secret Service, said in a statement to Newsweek: “With respect to this defendant, we do not comment on the specifics of protective intelligence matters. However, the U.S. Secret Service thoroughly investigates any information or activity that may reasonably be perceived as a protective intelligence concern or indicate a potential threat or directed interest toward any individual under Secret Service protection.
"We are grateful to our partners at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their continued support and strong partnership in advancing our shared investigative and protective missions.”
Authorities Say a Lot of 'What Ifs at This Point'
"There's a lot of what ifs at this point," Captain Calvin Mah, leader of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Major Crimes Bureau, told Newsweek. "We have to do some scrubbing of backgrounds and areas we might have access to to see if there are additional weapons."
Mah added that authorities are analyzing a notebook that was found and believed to have belonged to Taele and that authorities are looking into any social media profiles they can find of the suspect.
Taele's first name being Jeanine prompted immediate speculation online that the suspect was transgender. But Mah dismissed the claim, telling Newsweek that Taele is a biological male.
Conservative attorney and Trump ally Mike Davis posted to X on Tuesday in reaction to Taele's arrest, saying, "Jeanine and 'his'? Hmmmmm."
Taele was also wanted by the El Segundo, California, police department in a robbery investigation. Mah told Newsweek that the El Segundo force put out a watch in a California database and that when Taele was booked, it alerted the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department that there was a watch out on him.
Mah said the department then notified El Segundo that Taele was in custody. He said he believes the robbery probe was a few months old and didn't believe the suspect had other arrests on his record, but Mah hadn't been given access to his full criminal background.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said there is currently "no credible threat" to the surrounding community.
Taele's Military Service
According to information released from Taele's military personnel file to Newsweek, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from March 10, 2008, to March 30, 2016, reaching the rank of corporal (E-4) in July 2011. His military occupational specialty was warehouse clerk, and his final duty assignment was with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion at Camp Pendleton, California.
The records show Taele deployed to Iraq from October 2008 to March 2009 and to Afghanistan from June 2010 to December 2010. During his service, he received multiple awards and decorations, including two Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, a Navy Unit Commendation, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, and the NATO Medal for service in Afghanistan under the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jenni Fink and Edward T. Cummins.
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