Ex-Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos is running for Katie Hill's seat in Congress
Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos — who served time for crimes involving the investigation into 2016 election interference — is seizing a sudden opportunity.
Days after scandal-engulfed Democratic Representative Katie Hill resigned from Congress, Papadopoulos filed to run for her seat as a Republican. He hinted at the move in a tweet.
"Announcement soon on my interest in Katie Hill's soon to be vacant seat in the 25th district!" he tweeted on Tuesday morning.
A day earlier, his wife tweeted a photo of him standing at a podium sandwiched in between a state and a U.S. flag, with the caption "Make California great again !" Papadopoulos shared it.
Papadopoulos served 12 days in prison after pleading guilty to making false statements to the FBI during the special counsel's investigation into 2016 election interference. NBC News Reporter Alex Seitz-Wald tweeted a screenshot of Papadopoulos' apparent campaign website that has since been taken down.
It read: "Former foreign policy advisor to President Trump and author George Papadopoulous is now running to put California's 25th Congressional District seat back in Republican hands. Help fight back against Democrat corruption by joining George's campaign today!"
Hill resigned on Sunday after allegations of affairs with a campaign and a congressional staffer, and after a Republican blog published intimate photos and details of her relationships and ongoing divorce. Hill admitted to having a relationship with her campaign staffer, but she has denied having one with her congressional staffer. The House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation.
"I know that even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate, but I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment," she wrote in a letter last week. She said the relationship had occurred toward the end of an "abusive" marriage.
Hill flipped California's 25th District by close to 10 points in 2018, beating out two-term Republican incumbent Steve Knight. Knight has also filed for Hill's open seat.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has not yet announced a special election timeline for the seat. General special election rules call for an election to be held on a Tuesday at least 126 days, but not more than 140 days, following the governor's proclamation of an election.