SIMSBURY -- It's a name you've heard a lot lately. Robert Hyde. But who is he?
For starters, he's running against Jahana Hayes for Congress in the 5th District. But it's his antics and social media comments that have raised an eyebrow from those at the highest level of law enforcement.
Hyde lives in Simsbury. He’s being investigated by the FBI for his alleged involvement in a possible plot to help President Trump conduct surveillance on former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovich.
Robert Hyde put himself in the media spotlight early-December, with an offensive tweet about former Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris.
“The statements were inexcusable,” said David Sullivan, Hyde’s main Republican opponent who is also running for congress.
Sullivan said he’s met Hyde a few times. “Robert was one of those fellows that you just want to approach carefully.”
A deep dive into Hyde’s past revealed that in May of 2019, police in Florida transported Hyde to a medical office after he expressed fears that the secret service was out to get him.
On June 13, back in Connecticut, State Police ordered him to hand over all his guns in response to a protective order against him.
A week later, the First Church in Simsbury had police ban him from their property citing, “unsettling behavior,” after Hyde was observed taking campaign videos around the church.
FOX61 stopped at Hyde’s house in Simsbury and at his landscape business and campaign office in Avon.
There was no answer at either. According to neighbors who did not want to go on camera, the FBI has been watching the house for hours on end. The contractor and lobbyist, turned aspiring politician...is being actively pursued by the FBI.
Text messages included in a document dump from the house intelligence committee suggest Hyde may have surveilled former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovich.
“I don’t know him, he doesn’t seem to be very credible. It may be that he was telling tall tales. But at the very least, the state department needs to do an investigation,” said Sen. Chris Murphy.
On Friday, Hyde took to Facebook to respond to Intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff and the overall allegations.
“Are you kidding? Like I have anybody over in Ukraine. I’m a landscaper from Simsbury CT who is trying to get into the government and public relations world,” Hyde said.
The FBI wants to see if Hyde was working with Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas in a potential effort by the Trump administration to remove Yovanovich from her post to make it easier to launch an investigation into Joe Biden’s son, Hunter and his ties to Ukraine.
“Who was I talking to that was providing me with this info? Ask him. Come on Adam Schiff. Who was providing me with that intel of me in the Ukraine spying on Marie Yovanovich? Please. Who? You are a scumbag Adam Schiff,” remarked Hyde in the video.
On Wednesday, State Republican Party Chair JR Romano called on Hyde to end his campaign. Hyde tweeted back that Romano is anti-Trump.