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Exclusive: Key witness in Trump impeachment inquiry communicated with Dem staffer on 'delicate' issue after complaint, emails show, despite testimony

Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and a key witness in House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, communicated through her personal email account with a Democratic congressional staffer about a "quite delicate" and "time-sensitive" matter -- just two days after the whistleblower complaint that kickstarted the inquiry was filed, and a month before the complaint became public, emails obtained Thursday by Fox News showed.

During Yovanovitch's deposition on Capitol Hill last month, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., asked her about an email she received Aug. 14 from the staffer, Laura Carey -- and Yovanovitch indicated under oath that she had never personally responded to it. She said only that someone in the "Legislative Affairs Office" at the State Department had responded to Carey, to the best of her knowledge.

However, emails obtained by Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" showed that in fact, Yovanovitch had responded to Carey's initial Aug. 14 email, writing that she "would love to reconnect and look forward to chatting with you."

Fox News is told it is a breach of normal procedure for congressional staff to reach out to a current State Department employee at their personal email address for official business. Click here for more on our top story.

State Department official flagged Hunter Biden's 'conflict of interest' in Ukraine, testimony shows

A career official at the State Department told House investigators conducting the impeachment inquiry against President Trump that he raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest with Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine while his father Joe Biden oversaw Ukraine policy as vice president -- but was told that it wasn't appropriate to discuss the matter because of the health struggles of Biden's eldest son, Beau.

According to a transcript of his Oct. 15 closed-door deposition released Thursday, George Kent said that in January or February 2015, he "became aware that Hunter Biden was on the board" of Ukrainian company Burisma Holdings. After discussing concerns about the perception of a conflict of interest with Joe Biden's staff, Kent said he was shut down. "The message that I recall hearing back was that the Vice President's son Beau was dying of cancer and that there was no further bandwidth to deal with family-related issues at that time," he testified.

In his testimony, Kent also confirmed he had no "direct knowledge" that U.S. aid to Ukraine was ever connected to the opening of a new investigation against the Bidens concerning their business dealings there.

Bloomberg appears ready to enter 2020 race - and Dem aide thinks it's 'just what the doctor ordered'

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg appears to be seriously considering entering the 2020 race for president. Bloomberg is expected to file paperwork this week designating himself as a candidate in Alabama's March 3 Democratic presidential primary, Fox News has learned. He had announced earlier this year that he would not seek the party's nomination. But in a statement obtained Thursday by Fox News, Bloomberg political adviser Howard Wolfson said the billionaire businessman was worried the current crop of Democrats seeking the White House was "not well-positioned" to defeat President Trump.

In an appearance on "The Ingraham Angle" Thursday, Chris Hahn, a former aide to Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Bloomberg "might be just what the doctor ordered to shake this thing up right now" and would shift the current 2020 Democratic presidential field's focus to issues important to the center of the party and people across the country.

CBS News sparks outrage for reportedly firing ex-ABC News staffer who leaked Epstein bombshell

CBS News is facing heavy backlash for reportedly firing the ex-ABC News staffer who leaked footage of ABC News anchor Amy Robach exposing how the network killed the Jeffrey Epstein story. Journalist Yashar Ali cited "two sources with knowledge of the situation" who claimed ABC News executives "believe they know the identity" of a former employee with access to the viral footage, in which Robach claims her network "quashed" her reporting on Epstein, and that they suspected the leaker was working at CBS News.

According to Ali, executives at both networks were in contact throughout the process and the CBS staffer has since been fired. The reported collaboration between the two networks and firing of the CBS staffer were widely criticized on social media. "CBS fired a staffer for... a story that was embarrassing to ABC?" Republican pollster Logan Dobson asked. Click here for more.

Donald Trump Jr. after appearance on 'The View' triggers hosts: 'I don't think they like me much anymore'

Donald Trump Jr. appeared on "Hannity" Thursday night to talk about his wild appearance earlier in the day on ABC's "The View," saying "I don't think they like me much anymore." Host Sean Hannity asked him why "he even bothered" to appear on the show.

"You know, every once in a while you got to try. You gotta try to speak to everyone. Hopefully, they listen," Trump said. "In that case, they didn't."

Donald Trump Jr.'s appearance on "The View" Thursday made headlines as he clashed with nearly every one of the co-hosts. He was supposed to be discussing his new book, “Triggered,” but the left-leaning daytime show is no fan on his father, President Trump. The atmosphere was hostile from the beginning as co-host Joy Behar rattled off a list of President Trump's mishaps and controversial moments. Click here for more.

After his “View” appearance, the president’s son flew to Birmingham, Ala., where hundreds of fans lined up to purchase copies of his book during his first book-signing event.

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