Rudy Giuliani is feeling left out.
The former New York mayor was upset Tuesday that Democrats are leaving him out in the cold while pressing for John Bolton to be called as a witness at President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial.
"They have indicated in every way possible they are afraid of my physical presence," Giuliani told the New York Daily News as part of a string of overnight texts. "They know I know what they are covering up. Why do they want Bolton if not me if they can prove their lies. Again I really should stop wasting my time."
As Trump's personal attorney, Giuliani played a key role in the president's scheme to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations of Joe Biden and debunked right-wing claims about the 2016 election.
Despite his texts, Giuliani refused to comply with a House Intelligence Committee subpoena for records relating to the Ukraine scheme issued as part of the impeachment inquiry.
But Giuliani claimed Tuesday that the records in question were protected by attorney-client privilege and made a distinction between subpoenas requesting records and ones requesting in-person testimony.
"If they wanted to subpoena me they would have to serve a subpoena in personem not a subpoena ducus tecum," he said, using Latin legalese. "Do you understand? I'd be impressed?"
A House Intelligence Committee official scoffed at Giuliani's claim and said it is common practice to first get records and then seek testimony.
"Any good investigator will tell you that documents are necessary to test the credibility of any witness, but especially one like Giuliani," the official told The News.
Led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Democrats in the upper chamber are pressuring Republicans to call Bolton, White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and two other White House officials as witnesses at Trump's trial.
The chamber's 47 Democrats have expressed no interest in calling Giuliani as part of their quest to convince at least four Republicans to break ranks and vote to authorize subpoenas for outstanding witnesses and records.
The Senate's 53 Republicans could ultimately call Giuliani as a witness without any Democratic support, though they haven't given any substantial indication that they want to, either.
Notably, one of Trump's defense attorneys, Jane Raskin, said during oral trial arguments Monday that Giuliani was just "a minor player" in the Ukraine scandal and that senators shouldn't pay him much mind.
Bolton, meanwhile, has emerged as the most sought-after witness for Democrats in light of leaked excerpts of his forthcoming book revealing that Trump told him in August that he wanted to hold up $391 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine until the country agreed to help him by announcing his desired investigations.
The explosive account undercuts the Trump legal team's defense that the president had legitimate policy reasons for freezing the vital military assistance.
