Papadopoulos wants to run for Congress in 2020

Former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, who was released from federal prison last week, announced in an interview on Friday that he wants to run for office in 2020.

Papadopoulos told The Daily Telegraph that part of his initial plan to join President Trump’s campaign and transition team in 2016 was to boost his own platform before running for congress.

“Things just took a different direction,” he said with a smile, “but my end game remains the same. I do want to run for Congress. I’m planning to run for Congress in 2020.”

NEW: George Papadopoulos, the Trump adviser jailed over Russia meddling probe, wants to run for Congress in 2020.

He tells me he is looking at seats in Orange County (Nixon’s birthplace) and is already taking to donors.

Full interview: https://t.co/bUmOuO6uyE pic.twitter.com/6roXm6RccU

— Ben Riley-Smith (@benrileysmith) December 14, 2018

Papadopoulos was released from prison in Wisconsin on Dec. 7 after serving 12 days for lying to investigators about his contacts with Russia-linked officials during the 2016 campaign.

{mosads}Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in October of last year as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential collusion with the Trump campaign.

He will now have 12 months of supervised release and will have to serve more than 200 hours of community service as well as pay a $9,500 fine.

Papadopoulos and his wife, Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos, currently live in California.

“Now that Los Angeles is home, I just have to find a little Republican enclave somewhere in this part of the world — this part of the country, I should say — and run there,” he told The Telegraph.

The outlet noted that Orange County is the birthplace of former President Nixon.

Papadopoulos is already talking to potential donors before his run.

He is also slated to be the subject of a new documentary series about his relationship with his wife, in hopes to portray “a true image of ourselves to be presented for the first time since I was embroiled in the Russia investigation.”

The series, produced by Los Angeles–based FGW Productions, has already started filming last month.