Earlier this week, California congresswoman Katie Hill announced that she would be resigning as the representative for the state’s 25th district. Hill was facing a House Ethics Committee investigation over alleged affairs that she had with male staffers.
Both Republican and Democratic hopefuls are now announcing their intentions to seek the seat in the 2020 elections. One of those hopefuls is former Trump campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, who had been caught up in the Mueller Investigation.
In October of 2017, Papadopoulos pled guilty to lying to the FBI. The White House tried to cut off any association to him by claiming he was actually a volunteer. The former adviser was eventually sentenced to 14 days in prison.
That situation, however, has not prevented Papadopoulos from trying to get back into politics. He tweeted on Monday, “I’m smelling blood in the water now that Katie Hill has resigned. California’s 25th congressional district is wide open for the taking. Someone has to step up. I love my state too much to see it run down by candidates like Hill. All talk, no action, and a bunch of sell outs.”
I’m smelling blood in the water now that Katie Hill has resigned. California’s 25th congressional district is wide open for the taking. Someone has to step up. I love my state too much to see it run down by candidates like Hill. All talk, no action, and a bunch of sell outs.
— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) October 27, 2019
His potential opponents took little time in mocking Papadopoulos’ plan. Christy Smith, a Democratic hopeful for the seat wrote, “Wow! George Papadopoulos is running in California 25. 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 Donald Trump’s wannabe political hack.”
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 https://t.co/7dG3vIqf2U
— Christy Smith (@ChristyforCA25) October 29, 2019
Smith and Papadopoulos will be joined by other office seekers including former Marine Mike Garcia and LA Sheriff‘s Sgt. Mark Cripe.