George Papadopoulos‘ first major political role, serving as an adviser to the Trump campaign in 2016, catapulted him into the centre of an international scandal and ultimately landed him in prison.

Now a free man living in California, Mr Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to federal agents investigating Russian interference in Donald Trump‘s election, is planning to make his return to politics as a candidate for congress.

His seat of choice? The one occupied by Katie Hill, who announced on Sunday that she is resigning amid an ethics investigation into allegations that she had been romantically involved with her legislative director.

Ms Hill has denied the charge but admitted to engaging in a consensual three-person relationship with her now-estranged husband and a member of her campaign staff.

The freshman lawmaker became embroiled in controversy earlier this month after a conservative news site and British tabloid published nude photos of her without consent.

Mueller investigation: The key figures Show all 12 1 /12 Mueller investigation: The key figures Mueller investigation: The key figures Robert Mueller is the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, and potential obstruction of justice by the president. Mr Mueller has a pristine reputation in Washington, where he was previously in charge of the FBI. Throughout his investigation, he and his team have been notoriously tight lipped about what they know and where their investigation has led. REUTERS Mueller investigation: The key figures Former FBI director James Comey was the catalyst that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mr Comey was fired by the president after Mr Trump reportedly asked him to drop his own Russia investigation. Mr Trump has long maintained that the investigation is a "witch hunt". AFP/Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein had authority over the special counsel investigation for much of the two years it has been active. Mr Rosenstein found himself with that responsibility after then-attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from that oversight. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney general Jeff Sessions's decision to recuse himself from oversight of the special counsel investigation may have cost him his job in the end. Mr Sessions resigned last year, after weathering a contentious relationship with Donald Trump who vocally criticised his attorney general for taking a step back. Mr Sessions recused himself from the oversight citing longstanding Justice Department rules to not be involved in investigations overseeing campaigns that officials were apart of. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney General William Barr is currently responsible for oversight of the special counsel investigation. Mr Barr's office will be the first to receive the Mueller report when it is finished. His office will then determine what portion or version of that report should be delivered to Congress, and also made public. EPA Mueller investigation: The key figures Michal Cohn is the president's former personal lawyer, who has been helping the special counsel investigation as a part of a plea deal over financial crimes, and campaign finance crimes, he has pleaded guilty to. Among those crimes, Cohen admitted to facilitating $130,000 in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Cohen has said he did so at the direction of Mr Trump. Cohen has also admitted that he maintained contacts with Russian officials about a potential Trump real estate project in Moscow for months longer than Mr Trump and others admitted. The talks continued well into 2016 during the campaign, he has said. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Stormy Daniels has alleged that she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, soon after Melania Trump gave birth to Baron Trump. The accusation is of particular importance as a result of the $130,000 hush money payment she received to keep quiet about the affair during the 2016 campaign. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort was charged alongside Rick Gates for a slew of financial crimes, and was convicted on several counts in a Virginia court. He then pleaded guilty to separate charges filed in a Washington court. Manafort has been sentenced to just 7.5 years in prison for his crimes — in spite of recommendations from the special counsel's office for a much harsher sentence. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures George Papadopoulos was one of the first individuals associated with the Trump campaign to be charged by the Mueller probe. He ultimately received a 14 day prison sentence for lying to investigators about contacts he had with Russian officials. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Roger Stone is a well known political fixer and operative, who has made a name for himself for some dirty tactics. He has been charged by the Mueller probe earlier this year, and he has been said to have had prior knowledge that WikiLeaks planned on publishing stolen emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Rick Gates was charged alongside former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a range of crimes. Gates, who worked alongside Manafort for a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. The two were charged with conspiracy and financial crimes. Gates pleaded guilty. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was one of the first casualties of the Russia scandal, and was forced out of his position in the White House weeks after Donald Trump took office. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to "willfully" making fraudulent statements about contacts he had with Russian officials including former Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn then lied to Vice President Mike Pence about that contact. REUTERS

Mr Papadopoulos filed paperwork on Tuesday to run as a Republican in California’s 25th District and is expected to formally announce his candidacy later this week, Fox News reported.

The news was met with swift backlash from California state assemblywoman Christy Smith, so far the lone Democrat in the race for Ms Hill’s seat.

Three Republicans are also running, the Associated Press reported.

“If he pled guilty to lying to the FBI – how do we know he’ll tell us the truth?” Ms Smith tweeted, tagging Mr Papadopoulos. “We deserve someone from our community serving as our voice – not @realDonaldTrump’s wannabe political hack!”

Ms Smith later ratcheted up her criticism of Mr Papadopoulos, sharing a video that appeared to mock the former Trump adviser over the short amount of time he has lived in California.

Mr Papadopoulos, who is originally from Illinois, moved west with his wife after he was sentenced in September 2018.

“Hey, guess what, this is California,” Ms Smith said in Tuesday’s video, slapping her hand on a map of the United States. “And as soon as you can identify my district on here, you let us know.”

Mr Papadopoulos did not respond to requests for comment late on Tuesday. He repeatedly has mentioned Ms Hill’s congressional seat in recent tweets.

One day before the photos of Ms Hill were published, he tweeted: ”California’s 25th congressional district looks like it’s for the taking.”

In another post after the photos came out, Mr Papadopoulos slammed Hill as an “embarrassment to the great people in that district”.

“Someone has to step up,” he tweeted on Sunday, following Ms Hill’s announcement. “I love my state too much to see it run down by candidates like Hill. All talk, no action, and a bunch of sell outs.”

Mueller says he 'generally' agrees with sentiment that Trump officials lies inhibited his investigation

Mr Papadopoulos’ political career began in 2015, not long after Mr Trump came down the escalator at Trump Tower, TA Frank wrote in a profile published this year in The Washington Post.

His initial attempt to join the Trump campaign did not pan out and he ended up briefly serving as an adviser for then-presidential candidate Ben Carson before taking a job with the London Centre of International Law Practice.

But Mr Papadopoulos never gave up on his goal of working for Trump’s campaign and eventually came on as a foreign policy adviser in March 2016, Mr Frank reported.

“He’s an oil and energy consultant,” Mr Trump said of him, according to The Post. “Excellent guy.”

Within days of starting his new role, Mr Papadopoulos, guided by the campaign’s interest in improving relations with Moscow, was already working to get Mr Trump a meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president.

Mr Papadopoulos’ efforts led him to a London-based professor, who told him that the Russians had access to “dirt” on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, namely damaging emails.

He stayed in contact with the professor and later communicated with Russian nationals, including a woman he incorrectly believed was Mr Putin’s niece.

Then, in May 2016, the situation took a turn.

That is when Mr Papadopoulos made an offhand remark about the Russians and their “dirt” on Ms Clinton to an Australian diplomat over drinks at a bar in London, according to The Post.

This conversation between Mr Papadopoulos and the diplomat, who promptly relayed the information to American officials, helped trigger the FBI investigation of Trump’s campaign in late July 2016.

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About a year later, Mr Papadopoulos was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport, accused of making false statements to the FBI about his Russia contacts.

On 5 October 2017, he admitted to lying, becoming the first Trump official to plead guilty and cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller.

He served 12 days in federal prison last year.

Since his release in December 2018, Mr Papadopoulos has participated in a documentary series chronicling his relationship with his wife and the aftermath of the Russia investigation, and wrote a book, Deep State Target: How I Got Caught in the Crosshairs of the Plot to Bring Down President Trump.

Becoming a politician has also been on his to-do list.

“I will be running for congress in 2020, and I will win,” he tweeted days after leaving a federal prison in Wisconsin in December. “Stay tuned.”