So Rudy was in contact with Manafort's lawyers. And the State Department received info from Ukraine on the US Ambassador's troubling behavior.
From
WaPo Via Hot AirQuote:
Rudolph W. Giuliani in recent months has consulted several times with Manafort through the federal prisoner's lawyer in pursuit of information about a disputed ledger that would bolster his theory that the real story of 2016 is not Russian interference to elect Trump, but Ukrainian efforts to support Hillary Clinton.
The relationship, which Giuliani acknowledged in an interview this week with The Washington Post, stems from a shared interest in a narrative that undermines the rationale for the special counsel investigation. That inquiry led to Manafort's imprisonment on tax and financial fraud allegations related to his work in Kiev for the political party of former president Viktor Yanukovych
Giuliani joined Trump's legal team in April 2018 to help defend the president against special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's probe, and the former mayor said he launched his own investigation into Ukraine late last year, which led him to consult with Manafort. He said he has not spoken directly to Manafort in two years.
"It was that I believed there was a lot of evidence that the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign had a close connection to Ukrainian officials," Giuliani said, noting that he was never advocating for a pardon of Manafort. "It was all about Trump. I don't think I could exonerate Manafort."
Who was Manafort's partner and a confidential human source for the State Department? Konstantin Kilimnik.
Kilimnik is still at large and presumed to be in Russia but since the end of the Mueller probe, he may have reentered Ukraine. In any event, he still has his contacts there and likely at the State Department. Think Manafort's lawyers know how to contact Kilimnik? You betcha they do.
Manafort's lawyers get word to Kilimnik, he contacts his sources in Ukraine, info goes to the State Department and then at some point to Rudy.
I also wouldn't be surprised if John Solomon used Kilimnik on background in his investigative journalism.