Karl W. Smith, Columnist

Giuliani Needs to Testify Before the Senate. Now.

Those who claim to be acting on behalf of the American government must answer to the American people.

October 16, 2019 at 11:00 AM UTC

Karl W. Smith is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. Previously, he was vice president for federal policy at the Tax Foundation and assistant professor of economics at the University of North Carolina.

Get thee to the Senate.
Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images North America

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By now it’s clear that Rudy Giuliani was the driving force behind the Ukraine scandal engulfing President Donald Trump’s administration. But he refuses to testify before the House investigation of the matter, and (for now) has the support of the White House.

That leaves the Senate. Senate Republicans have offered Giuliani the opportunity to tell his story in a friendly partisan environment, and he says he welcomes it. They now need to insist that Giuliani put up or shut up: Either testify before the Judiciary Committee or face a formal investigation by Foreign Relations Committee.