"We are at an incipient stage," George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign foreign policy aide, said about a potential run for Congress. | Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Congress George Papadopoulos considering run for Congress

George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign foreign policy aide who just completed a prison term for lying to the FBI, is planning a political comeback in California — where he says he intends to run for Congress.

The 32-year-old just spent 12 days in a Wisconsin prison after pleading guilty to making false statements when the FBI interviewed him about contacts with a professor, Joseph Mifsud, who claimed to know that Russia had come into possession of thousands of emails connected to Hillary Clinton. Papadopoulos was released from prison on Dec. 7.


Special counsel Robert Mueller's office has described Mifsud as connected to Russia, but in recent months, Papadopoulos has become a proponent of an alternative theory: that Mifsud is actually connected to Western intelligence and was part of a plot to entrap him and undercut Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Papadopoulos now lives in Los Angeles with his wife Simona, who is pursuing an acting and modeling career there. His political ambition was first reported by the Daily Telegraph. Papadopoulos told the London-based newspaper that he is eyeing a possible run in the Orange County area, a historically Republican-leaning enclave that turned sharply blue in the 2018 midterm elections.

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Papadopoulos would have to overcome significant hurdles to mount a credible congressional bid, foremost among them his recent felony conviction.

Papadopoulos confirmed his interest in a congressional bid to POLITICO. He declined to say whether he had been in touch with party officials about a potential bid but said he had "been in touch with donors."

"We are at an incipient stage," he said. "More to come."



This article tagged under: California

George Papadopoulos