Trump Ally George Papadopoulos​ To Run For Katie Hill's Seat

SANTA CLARITA, CA — A former Trump campaign who stumbled into the heart of the Russia probe and ended up pleading guilty to making false statements to FBI agents filed paperwork to run for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Katie Hill. Hill, who faced an allegation of sexual misconduct, is resigning this week.

George Papadopoulos filed a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission and established a website, georgeforcongress.com.

"Announcement soon on my interest in Katie Hill's soon to be vacant seat in the 25th district!" Papadopoulos tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

It's a surprising development for California's 25th Congressional District, which was rocked last week by allegations of sexual misconduct against Hill. Hill abruptly resigned Sunday while accusing her estranged husband of abuse and Republican operatives of using revenge porn to smear her.

Papadopoulos brings his own baggage into the race.

He pleaded guilty in 2017 to making false statements to the FBI about his contacts with Russian agents on behalf of the Trump campaign. He was sentenced to 14 days in prison, 12 months of supervised release and 200 hours of community service, and was released after 12 days.

As a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, Papadopoulos strove to set up a meeting between the candidate and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Papadopoulos inadvertently set off the Russia investigation in 2016 when he allegedly told an Australian diplomat that Russia had incriminating emails related to Hillary Clinton.

Assemblywoman Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita, who announced her candidacy on Monday, tweeted: "@Wow! @GeorgePapa19 is running in #CA25! If he pled guilty to lying to the FBI -- how do we know he'll tell us the truth? We deserve someone from our community serving as our voice - not @realDonaldTrump's wannabe political hack! #CA25 belongs to #CA25."

There was no immediate response to a message sent to Papadopoulos seeking a response.

Hill, who was elected in the so-called blue wave of 2018 and took office in January, announced Sunday she would resign amid allegations of a relationship with a staff member and the online release of explicit photos.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.