Who Is Robert Hyde? Trump Donor, Republican Congressional Candidate At Center Of Ukraine Surveillance Scandal

House Democrats released explosive text messages Tuesday that Lev Parnas, the former associate to President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, contacted Trump political donor Robert Finley Hyde about the whereabouts of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. The revelation has thrust Hyde into the spotlight ahead of the upcoming Senate impeachment trials.

Hyde, 40, has denied the accusations. In March, he texted Parnas: “She’s talked to three people. Her phone is off. Computer is off" and “She’s next to the embassy" and “Not in the embassy.”

The lobbyist does, however, have a history of dysfunctional behavior and outlandish statements.

Hyde, a longshot Republican congressional candidate in Connecticut, claimed in a Twitter video Friday that the texts with Parnas were “just copy-and-paste bulls--- from some intel guy, probably, trying to f--- with me, trying to set Trump up.” Hyde also said that he was climbing volcanoes in Ecuador during the exchanges.

Parnas has claimed that Hyde was drinking or not being serious during the text conversations.

Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., has called the text messages “alarming” and that they "suggest a possible risk to Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s security in Kyiv before she was recalled from her post last year.”

Hyde, previously a landscaper and a Marine, has now become a peripheral player in the Trump impeachment scandal. His large donations to Trump helped him gain access to the President's inner circle, and he frequently appeared on Trump properties.

On Twitter, Hyde touts his meetings with the President and also has expressed a love for McDonald’s Big Mac. He has also been urged by Republicans to end his congressional run, as he has made vulgar tweets, most notably about Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris.

Pro-Trump businessman Jeffrey Peterson, who met Hyde in Canada, said Hyde frequently mentions his closeness with Trump.

"He talks a big game, you know?” Peterson told Politico. “He claims to be extremely close with the president.” After their meeting, Hyde disappeared for two months but he later messaged Peterson that he was in Venezuela hunting down corruption.

Hyde has said that he wasn’t interested in politics until Trump made his White House run.

It’s unclear how Hyde had the money to make the donations to Trump but he allegedly has fallen behind on other bills. The mother of his son claimed that he owes more than $2,000 in child support. He also failed for eight months to pay his $900-a-month rent for his landscaping company and supposedly opened up his own consulting firm located near the White House.

Hyde has also been involved in a set of bizarre altercations. NBC News reported that he had threatened to shoot one of his Connecticut neighbors over petting his dog and that his neighbors are scared of him. His weapons arsenal had been taken away by police.

In May at Trump National Doral Miami, Hyde told police a hitman "was out to get him" and the Secret Service hacked his computer. Police said Hyde was involuntarily committed to a Florida mental health facility.

Hyde is also accused of violating a protective order after a female political consultant obtained a civil order of protection against him for harassment and other charges.