When President Trump flew to Mandan, N.D., in the Fall of 2017, to give a speech at the largest oil refinery in the state, no one paid much attention to it, really.

But last week, it was revealed that a North Dakota man had been arrested at the refinery on the day of Trump’s visit, reportedly over a plan to assassinate the president — using a stolen forklift.

He forked up.

Gregory Lee Leingang, 42, was charged last fall with attempting to enter or remain in the refinery on Sept. 6, 2017, the day of Trump’s visit, as well as one count of attempting to damage government property. He pleaded guilty on Friday to the first count.

According to the plea agreement, Leingang knowingly entered and remained in a restricted area, “that is, the Mandan Refinery and its grounds and presidential motorcade route . . . and in relation to the offense, did use a deadly and dangerous weapon, that is, a forklift.”

The intent was to basically try to get to the limo, flip the limo and get to the president, and he wanted to kill the president,” U.S. Assistant State’s Attorney Brandi Sasse Russell said.

However, Leingang’s strange plan went awry after he abandoned the forklift and was caught by police as he tried to run away, authorities said. He later admitted to police that he wanted to use the forklift to kill Trump.

The arrest capped off a string of crimes Leingang committed in the region that day, including setting two fires in Bismarck, N.D., on the other side of the Missouri River, and then stealing a truck from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, before abandoning the truck to make his way to an under construction sports complex, near the refinery, where he got the forklift, to carry out his heinous plan.....which never really had a chance of succeeding anyways.

Lee Harvey Oswald, he's not.

Courtesy Grand Forks Herald
Courtesy Grand Forks Herald
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