House Republicans are asking Hunter Biden’s legal team to confirm if the president’s son will appear for a closed-door deposition later this month.

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter Friday to Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s counsel, asking for confirmation by Monday that he will appear, as subpoenaed, for a deposition on Dec. 13.

It’s the latest back and forth between Hunter Biden’s legal team and the House GOP investigators over the appearance.

Lowell, in a letter last week, said Hunter Biden was willing to appear on Dec. 13, or any other date this month that they could agree to, but wanted it to be a public hearing, not a closed-door deposition.

“A public proceeding would prevent selective leaks, manipulated transcripts, doctored exhibits, or one-sided press statements,” Lowell wrote at the time.

But Comer immediately poured cold water on the request, saying Hunter Biden had to first appear for the closed-door deposition.

“We appreciate your confirmation that Mr. Biden is available and willing to testify on December 13. Pursuant to the terms of the subpoenas … this testimony will occur initially in a deposition setting,” Comer and Jordan reiterated in their Friday letter, adding they looked forward to also having a public hearing “at the appropriate time.”

Pointing back to Lowell’s concerns about a closed-door interview, Comer and Jordan added they would videotape the deposition and release a transcript “soon after its completion.”

House Republicans view Hunter Biden as their top potential witness in the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, which has largely focused on the business deals of Hunter and other family members. Republicans haven’t yet found a smoking gun that links actions taken by Joe Biden as president or vice president to those arrangements.

But they could vote as soon as next week to formalize that inquiry, which they believe will give them more legal teeth in potential court battles over subpoenaed witnesses and documents. They’ve issued several subpoenas over the past month, including to Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s brother James Biden and Rob Walker, a Hunter Biden business associate.

House GOP leaders have a new problem on their hands: Rank and file Republicans frustrated with their late-game opposition to expelling George Santos.

The New York Republican’s intra-party critics finally prevailed Friday in their push to expel their indicted colleague. Santos’ GOP opponents prevailed despite the opposition of all four top House Republican leaders, who lined up in the 24 hours before the vote to say they opposed ejecting him.

Republican leaders also didn’t whip votes against Santos, arguing that his expulsion was a vote of conscience. In the end, their members split almost evenly — 105 voted to bounce him and 112 voted not to. But some who voted to expel took issue with their leaders’ decision to come out as opponents of expulsion at the last minute, warning that it risked looking like an attempt to tip the scales for Santos.

Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) said he was “very disappointed” with how GOP leaders handled the vote.

“Too many people, including leadership, were using excuses that simply cannot be successfully argued with everyday Americans,” Womack said in an interview. “Had leadership had its way, we would have reset the bar on standards of conduct at a level that we would live to regret.”

Womack, a respected senior appropriator, added that “I am thankful that there were enough thoughtful members of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, that recognize that there was only one course of action here.”

Other Republicans who opposed expulsion aired their own concerns privately, saying GOP leaders should’ve fought harder. But the clearest fury came from party members who saw this month’s Ethics Committee report — which found “sufficient evidence” of criminal wrongdoing by Santos — as more than enough reason for Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to have backed expulsion.

Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), a member of the Ethics Committee who voted to expel Santos, even told other members that he and others on the panel might have considered resigning from its ranks if the Santos expulsion effort failed.

Asked about that prospect, Garbarino replied that “people were frustrated with how leadership handled this entire thing. We were tasked to do this. We came out with a report. … If this was not the standard to remove someone, why even have an Ethics Committee?”

Multiple Republicans who planned to support Santos’ expulsion or were on the fence switched to no votes when leadership made its position known, according to interviews ahead of Friday’s vote. But others in the GOP made clear that they opposed expulsion out of concern about setting a new institutional standard to eject members from public office before a criminal conviction — not out of any desire to support Santos.

“When you look back at others who have been in legal trouble — [former Rep.] Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) is a glaring example of this, it was literally tax fraud, and he was censured. I’m just afraid of what this portends for the future,” Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) said.

Asked whether leadership should have tried to protect Santos from the ouster effort, Huizenga defended top Republicans, arguing that he is “awfully hard to protect.”

“He is not a high quality individual. Let’s put it that way,” Huizenga said. “I’m afraid of the continued weaponization of procedures and rules and precedents. That’s why I don’t think this is good for the future of the institution.”

“Historically, votes of conscience are not whipped. I support that precedent. Speaker Johnson handled the expulsion issue very professionally,” said Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), who had urged colleagues to vote against expulsion. Higgins declared that “the swamp won this battle.”

Johnson said earlier this week that “I trust that people will make that decision thoughtfully and in good faith” on expelling Santos. “I personally have real reservations about doing this. I’m concerned about a precedent that may be set for that.“

One GOP leader notably voted to repeal Santos — Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), who will have to defend Santos’ now-open seat as well as the battleground seats of his New York critics as head of the House GOP campaign arm. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who had to deal with the bulk of Santos’ headline-grabbing behavior this year, also voted to expel him.

Losing Santos’ vote shrinks the House GOP’s already-tiny margin to four seats, if all members are present and voting. Some Republicans saw that factor as integral to the last-minute no votes announced by Johnson and other leaders.

“I know they’re concerned with a four-seat majority and I think they probably concocted some arguments to help cover for that. But you can’t let a four-seat majority or a thirty-seat majority determine right or wrong,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said.

But Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), an increasingly vocal Johnson critic, argued ahead of the vote that failing to eject Santos would have hurt the Republican majority further.

Miller said he was “let down” that leadership planned to vote to keep Santos.

Santos was expelled on an overwhelming 311-114 vote. Five GOP members missed the balloting. When it completed, a somber-sounding Johnson read out the expulsion on the House floor — to applause from some of his own members, including Miller.

Jordain Carney and Ursula Perano contributed.

House Republicans are preparing to vote as soon as next week to formalize their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

The emerging consensus around a speedy vote, which could help strengthen their hand in likely legal battles over subpoenas related to the probe, comes after Republicans huddled behind closed doors on Friday morning to update members on their investigation. After months of focusing largely on business deals by Hunter Biden and other Biden family members, GOP lawmakers have yet to uncover direct links to any decision Joe Biden made as president or vice president.

Even so, Republicans plan to press ahead on formalizing an inquiry that was started without a vote in September by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy. They are under pressure from their base to show progress, even if it’s incremental, toward their ultimate goal of impeaching the president.

“That’s the plan,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) about wanting a vote next week on formalizing the inquiry.

No one stood up during Friday’s closed-door conference to speak against the proposed vote, according to GOP lawmakers in the meeting — a sign that past resistance from centrist members is fading. Republicans will need near-unanimous support on their side of the aisle to vote in favor of an inquiry, given that near-universal Democratic opposition is expected.

And several Biden-district Republicans now appear ready to support an inquiry, pointing to arguments from investigators that otherwise their requests for interviews and documents will be stonewalled. The White House recently used a Trump-era Justice Department opinion to rebuff interview requests, arguing investigative steps and subpoenas initiated so far aren’t valid because Republicans never held a formal vote to start the inquiry .

“They said we’ll only give you documents if you have a vote on an inquiry, so I feel like we have to vote yes, and it’s different than an impeachment itself,” said centrist Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.).

But there also wasn’t full attendance at Friday’s meeting, which means party leadership will still need to take the pulse of their full membership, with some members indicating they still aren’t sold. And the majority got even thinner on Friday after Republicans helped expel now-former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.).

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who has been one of his party’s most vocal impeachment critics, indicated this week he hadn’t yet seen something that would bring him on board. And Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said he wanted to talk to Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) before making a decision.

“I’ll talk to Jim and Jamie and hear them out,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that he wants to make sure that the rules are “consistent.”

Republicans who predicted a quick vote next week also cautioned that it would only go forward if they had the votes and could slide closer to 2024 if they need to iron out any remaining sticking points.

“I think we’ll have one by the end of the year, whether it’s this week or the week after,” said Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D), a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Top Republicans haven’t officially said they will bring a resolution formalizing the inquiry to the floor next week. Comer said that the inquiry resolution was currently being drafted, though, in a clear signal that it’s poised to move forward,

Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said he expected his committee, which preps bills for the floor, could take up the matter by Wednesday.

“That’s what I would anticipate,” Cole said about the timeline, while adding that the ultimate decision rests with leadership.

Republicans are months into a sweeping investigation aimed at the president as his reelection campaign kicks into gear. In addition to his family’s business deals, they are investigating the years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden and Joe Biden’s handling of classified records, which is also the subject of a special counsel investigation.

While Republicans have poked holes in previous statements by Joe Biden and the White House, in addition to finding evidence of Hunter Biden trying to use his last name to burnish his own clout, they haven’t yet found clear evidence that the president has been improperly influenced.

Both the White House and House Democrats are preparing for Republicans to try to advance their impeachment inquiry, circulating memos on Friday morning that blast the GOP investigation.

The White House memo specifically seeks to counter claims of obstruction, writing that Republicans are “trying to invent claims of ‘obstruction’ and ‘stonewalling’ to rationalize their illegitimate so-called ‘impeachment inquiry.’”

Republicans also cautioned that, even if they formalize their impeachment inquiry, it doesn’t mean they will ultimately recommend booting Biden from office.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), when asked if they would have the votes to actually impeach Biden, said that was “getting ahead of where we are.” And Bacon doesn’t think supporting an inquiry makes an impeachment vote more likely, saying: “I think they’re two different things.”

“I think the voters should know the facts. And they’re going to decide next November,” Bacon said. “Unless there is something really stunning that comes out of all of this.”

George Santos is out.

The House voted to expel the indicted New York Republican 311-114, exceeding the two-thirds threshold required for booting a member. Nearly all Democrats supported the measure, with two voting against it and two voting present, while 104 Republicans backed it. It’s the first time the House has expelled a member without a conviction since the Civil War.

The New York Republican told reporters as the vote concluded: “It’s over. … They just set a dangerous new precedent for themselves.” He declined further comment.

“As unofficially already no longer a member of Congress, I no longer have to answer a single question. That is the one thing that I’m going to take forever,” Santos said.

The resolution was sponsored by House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.), after after his panel released an explosive report two weeks ago that found “significant evidence” of Santos’ criminal wrongdoing.

The motion managed to pass with a comfortable margin despite last-minute opposition from all four top GOP House leaders, which shook Republican support for the measure. After the vote, Speaker Mike Johnson did not acknowledge Santos in comments to reporters, instead “admonishing” the Senate for not passing aid for Israel.

“I am gonna make one statement. It’s been over a month since the House passed a bipartisan support package for Israel. It has been sitting on the Senate’s desk over there for over a month. It’s time for them to take action on that matter,” Johnson said.

Only five members have been booted from the House in history. The first three were due to their support for the Confederacy, and the other two were removed after federal convictions.

But in the days before the vote, Santos’ standing with colleagues plummeted, with the New York Republican even acknowledging he would probably have to leave the House. Still, he had refused to resign, with some GOP members speculating Santos wanted to portray himself as a martyr.

“He should have resigned. It shouldn’t have come to this. But it is. And now we’re going to actually allow the third district to elect a representative. Someone that they can trust. Someone that they know,” said Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), one of Santos’ leading critics.

Expulsion is the most severe sanction the House has for its members. Santos’ removal from the House further narrows Republicans’ already miniscule majority.

Santos is facing 23 federal charges but has not been convicted. His trial is slated to begin in September. He has pleaded not guilty.

Jordain Carney, Daniella Diaz and Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.

As the House formally expelled him from its ranks for a litany of controversial behavior, George Santos left the floor early.

The New York Republican told reporters as he departed the Capitol on Friday that he had no reaction beyond warning that his colleagues “just set a new dangerous precedent for themselves.”

Santos added that he did not plan to take advantage of Capitol access privileges afforded to former lawmakers, but he did suggest — despite holding repeated press events in the run-up to his expulsion — that he would enjoy leaving the spotlight.

“As unofficially already no longer a member of Congress, I no longer have to answer a single question,” said Santos, who is facing trial next year on multiple felony counts, including lying to Congress and wire fraud. “That is the one thing that I’m going to take forever.”

Santos left the Hill in a Jaguar SUV.

Speaker Mike Johnson will vote on Friday to oppose the expulsion of George Santos, signaling that the House GOP’s leaders will swing against the bipartisan push to boot the indicted New York Republican.

While Johnson and his leadership team are not formally whipping against the latest expulsion push, describing it as a vote of conscience, other House Republicans on the fence are certain to take cues from the GOP leader. It’s not clear that there are enough votes to meet the two-thirds threshold needed to eject Santos.