Complex sentence: While friends said he bore no ill will towards Bill Clinton and likely only wanted the publicity of the stunt, rather than trying to kill the President who was not even in the mansion at the time due to renovations, instead staying in the Blair House.
Split into simpler sentences: While friends said he bore no ill will towards Bill Clinton and likely only wanted the publicity of the stunt. The President was not even in the mansion at the time due to renovations; he was instead staying in the Blair House.