Former Trump aide George Papadopoulos is out of prison and wants to run for Congress

Fresh out of prison, former President Donald Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos is preparing to run for Congress in 2020.

When did this happen?

He made the announcement Friday to the Telegraph. One week ago, Papadopoulos completed a 12-day sentence for lying to FBI investigators to conceal his contacts with Russians and Russian intermediaries the 2016 presidential campaign.

Papadopoulos told the news outlet he intended from the beginning to use the Trump campaign to promote his own platform.

"Things just took a different direction," Papadopoulos told the Telegraph. "But my end game remains the same. I do want to run for Congress. I'm planning to run for Congress in 2020."

Papadopoulos is already seeking donors, the report stated.

After serving 12 days in the Federal Correctional Institution in Oxford, Wisconsin, Papadopoulos now faces 12 months of supervised release, 200 hours of community service and a $9,500 fine.

Papadopoulos and his wife, Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos, are living in a new California home located "just below the Hollywood sign," the Telegraph reported.

What about the documentary?

The couple is also the topic of a new documentary series. Through the production, Papadopoulos hopes to present "a true image of ourselves to be presented for the first time since I was embroiled in the Russia investigation," he said.

Los Angeles-based FGW Productions began filming the series last month, according to the report.

"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 news outlet.

Was prison life tough?

The prison where he served time is known as "Camp Cupcake," the Telegraph reported.

"I said 'What on earth does Camp Cupcake mean? This is a prison, no?'" he said. "That was before I walked in."

Some of the inmates had dogs that they could walk, he told the paper. The prison also had a "beautiful gym," a movie theater, basketball courts and bunk beds.

" I felt like I was in university again, except a little cleaner than my old dormitory room," Papadopoulos told the Telegraph.

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

What was Papadopoulos' role in the investigation?

Federal prosecutors have categorized Papadopoulos as a "small part" of a "large-scale investigation." And while making a false statement to the law enforcement is serious, he was not deemed to be a danger to anyone else.

Papadopoulos reportedly met with operatives who offered him "dirt" on former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and "off-the-record meetings in overtures he discussed with leaders of Donald Trump's campaign," NPR reported.

Papadopoulous has also been blamed for being the reason the Russian investigation began in the first place. He bragged to an Austrian diplomat about his interactions with Russian intermediaries. The diplomat then gave that information to his own government, which in turn passed the information on to the U.S. government.

The news outlet also explained:

"His lawyers say Papadopoulous acted out of a 'misguided sense of loyalty to his master' and to preserve his career options in the new administration.

"He was unsophisticated, he was naïve and he was a fool," said attorney Thomas Breen.

"Papadopoulos didn't know he was being worked by a pro— a spy."