Sipping a kale and cucumber smoothie on a swanky hotel rooftop in Los Angeles, George Papadopoulos looked a million miles away from prison.

Just a few days earlier the former Trump campaign adviser, whose actions had triggered the Russian election meddling investigation, was locked behind bars.

Last year he admitted lying to the FBI about conversations with figures touting Kremlin connections during the 2016 election race, shooting to infamy when the news broke.

The crime earned him 12 days in the Federal Correctional Institution in Oxford, Wisconsin, where he traded his black jacket and t-shirt at the door for a green jumpsuit.

But speaking to The Daily Telegraph in his first newspaper interview since release the Friday before last, Papadopoulos showed few signs of scarring from his jail time.

“My nickname in there was Pappy”, the 31-year-old said with a laugh over breakfast at his suggested location - the five-star Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. “Or Papa D.”