The former US ambassador to Ukraine used her personal email account to message a Democratic staffer over a 'delicate issue' a month before the whistleblower complaint was made public, according to Fox News.

Marie Yovanovitch testified under oath she had not replied to Democratic congressional staffer Laura Carey.

Three-time ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, who was abruptly recalled from Kiev in May, gave a closed-door deposition on October 11 to three congressional committees investigating whether there were grounds to impeach Trump.

She is a key witness in House Democrats' impeachment inquiry which began on September 24 after a whistleblower's allegations that Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate unsubstantiated corruption charges against Democratic political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Carey's emails and Yovanovitch's reported replies will raise questions of who knew about the whistleblower complaint before it was made public and which Democrats were warned of its contents. It will also lead to question on whether Yovanovitch committed perjury.

Yovanovitch is said to have replied to Carey regarding the 'time-sensitive' issue two days after the whistleblower filed their complaint over Trump's infamous call with the Ukrainian president.

That despite telling Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin: 'I alerted the State Department, because I'm still an employee, and so, matters are generally handled through the State Department.'

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, center, flanked by lawyers, aides and police, leaves the US Capitol on October 11. She reportedly used her personal email account to message a Democratic staffer over a 'delicate issue' days after whistleblower complaint

Yovanovitch told Lee Zeldin, pictured, that she 'alerted the State Department, because I'm still an employee, and so, matters are generally handled through the State Department'

Yovanovitch added: 'So, she emailed me. I alerted the State Department and, you know, asked them to handle the correspondence. And, she emailed me again and said, you know, who should I be in touch with?

'I didn't respond to that email, because I had already transferred everything to the State Department and I figured they would be in touch, and they were.'

But Fox News reports she did reply, writing she 'would love to reconnect and look forward to chatting with you'.

WHAT THE EMAILS SAY BETWEEN CAREY AND YOVANOVITCH SAY August 12 - Whistleblower complaint is filed August 14 - Carey writes to Yovanovitch: 'I'm writing to see if you would have time to meet up for a chat —in particular, I’m hoping to discuss some Ukraine-related oversight questions we are exploring. 'I'd appreciate the chance to ground-truth a few pieces of information with you, some of which are quite delicate/time-sensitive and, thus, we want to make sure we get them right. 'Could you let me know if you have any time this week or next to connect? Happy to come to a place of your choosing, or if easier, to speak by phone at either of the numbers below. I'm also around this weekend if meeting up over coffee works.' August 15 - Yovanovitch allegedly replies: 'Thanks for reaching out -- and congratulations on your new job. I would love to reconnect and look forward to chatting with you. I have let EUR know that you are interested in talking and they will be in touch with you shortly.' August 19 - Carey responds: 'Great --thanks for the response and I look forward to hearing from them. As mentioned, it would be ideal to connect this week... assuming this week is doable for you schedule-wise?' September 19 - Whistleblower complaint made public Advertisement

Zeldin told the network: 'I would highly suspect that this Democratic staffer's work was connected in some way to the whistleblower's effort, which has evolved into this impeachment charade.

'We do know that the whistleblower was in contact with [House Intelligence Committee Chairman] Adam Schiff's team before the whistleblower had even hired an attorney or filed a whistleblower complaint even though Schiff had lied to the public originally claiming that there was no contact.

'Additionally, while the contents of the email from this staffer to Ambassador Yovanovitch clearly state what the conversation would be regarding, Yovanovitch, when I asked her specifically what the staffer was looking to speak about, did not provide these details.

'I specifically asked her whether the Democratic staffer was responded to by Yovanovitch or the State Department.

'It is greatly concerning that Ambassador Yovanovitch didn't answer my question as honestly as she should have, especially while under oath.'

A Democratic House Foreign Affairs Committee spokesperson said the correspondence was 'to hear from an ambassador whose assignment was cut short under unusual circumstances'.

They argue the 'outreach was part of monthslong efforts that culminated in the September 9 launch of an investigation into these events'.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and defended his request to Zelensky in a July 25 phone call, which Democrats say is evidence Trump pushed a vulnerable foreign ally to dig up dirt on a rival for his own political benefit.

Former vice president Biden is a leading contender for the right to face Trump in the November 2020 presidential election.

Democrats said they had enough material to move forward with public impeachment hearings even though some Trump administration officials have refused to cooperate.

'We are getting an increasing appreciation for just what took place during the course of the last year and the degree to which the president enlisted whole departments of government in the illicit aim of trying to get Ukraine to dig up dirt on a political opponent as well as further a conspiracy theory about the 2016 election that he believed would be beneficial to his re-election campaign,' Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff told reporters.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and defended his request to Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call

Trump has blasted the House inquiry as a witch hunt and accused Democrats of unfairly targeting him in hope of reversing his surprise victory in the 2016 presidential election.

If the Democratic-controlled House votes to impeach Trump, the Republican-controlled Senate would then hold a trial on whether to remove Trump from office.

Trump’s defenders say there is no evidence of him and the Ukrainian president engaging in a 'quid pro quo' - or exchanging a favor for a favor - because the aid to Ukraine was released and Zelenskiy never explicitly promised to investigate Burisma, the Bidens, or any involvement in the 2016 election.

A quid pro quo is not necessary, however, to prove high crimes or misdemeanors, which is the standard the U.S. Constitution requires for the impeachment of a president.