Last Updated on January 5, 2021
On Tuesday morning, Roll Call and several other sources indicated that Vice President Mike Pence will not uphold his Constitutional duty as President of the Senate to be the presiding officer of the January 6 joint session of Congress where over 140 House representatives and 12 senators intend to object to what they consider fraudulent electoral college votes from battleground states.
After a brief period of confusion, Roll Call provided an additional comment from Grassley’s office, apparently clarifying his earlier claim.
According to Roll Call, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Senate president pro tempore, has indicated he will be the presiding officer.
Roll Call originally, Grassley “says he and not Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the certification of Electoral College votes, since ‘we don’t expect him to be there.'”
Grassley also indicated he has not determined his decision on whether to object to electoral votes from states with credible accusations of widespread voter fraud.
Grassley said he will listen to debate and that "it would be really wrong for me to say I have my mind made up."
— Roll Call (@rollcall) January 5, 2021
However, Roll Call then reported that Grassley’s office apparently clarified his statement.
“Every indication we have is that the vice president will be there,” Grassley’s office apparently clarified.
Grassley's office clarifies that he was meaning to explain what would happen if Pence had to step away during Wednesday's proceedings to count electoral votes. "Every indication we have is that the vice president will be there," Grassley's office said. https://t.co/1swKXKrZ7g
— Roll Call (@rollcall) January 5, 2021
It is unclear how Pence could skirt his Constitutional duty and skip this joint session of Congress, especially considering political pressure placed on the date by President Donald Trump.
Even the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman has noted that this is contrary to all information previously made available by Pence and his staff.
This contradicts everything Pence's folks have said. Let's see if it stands. https://t.co/EtLJNKy6yz
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 5, 2021
This could potentially foul the plans of Republican allies of President Trump, who may have been counting on Pence’s tie breaking vote to trigger a contingent election.
National File has contacted Pence’s office to determine whether the original statement from Grassley is accurate and did not receive an immediate reply.
This is a breaking news story and National File has updated it to include a clarified statement from Grassley.
