Vice President Pence is expected to preside over Congress’s counting of the Electoral College vote on Wednesday.
Pence’s attendance was thrown into momentary confusion on Tuesday when Roll Call reported that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he would preside because “we don’t expect him [Pence] to be there.”
The suggestion sent shock waves through Washington, which is gearing up for a high-profile effort by dozens of congressional Republicans to challenge the election results, stirring up brief chaos as reporters grappled with whether Pence had pulled out of the joint session….
Update*…
Sen. Grassley confuses DC over whether he will handle electoral certification
Sen. Chuck Grassley on Tuesday set off a media firestorm when he implied that he and not Vice President Mike Pence would handle certification of the Electoral College results, before he quickly walked back the remark.
“We don’t expect him to be there,” Grassley said Tuesday, according to Roll Call.
Minutes later, Grassley’s office told the Capitol Hill-focused publication that there’s “every indication” Pence will be present Wednesday in his role as president of the Senate….
As president of the Senate, Mr. Pence is expected to preside over the pro forma certification of the Electoral College vote count in front of a joint session of Congress. It is a constitutionally prescribed, televised moment in which Mr. Pence will name the winner of the 2020 presidential election, Joseph R. Biden Jr.
It is also a moment some of Mr. Pence’s advisers have been bracing themselves for ever since the president lost the election and stepped up his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. There is no chance of Mr. Pence not being there, people close to him said. Mr. Pence’s aides have told people that they view the vice president’s role as largely ceremonial.
“I know we all have got our doubts about the last election,” Mr. Pence said Monday in Georgia, attempting to assuage Trump supporters. “I want to assure you that I share the concerns of millions of Americans about voting irregularities. I promise you, come this Wednesday, we will have our day in Congress.”
It was not clear, perhaps by design, what he meant. Mr. Pence does not have unilateral power to affect the outcome of Wednesday’s proceedings. But he has carefully tried to look like he is loyally following the president’s lead even as he goes through a process that is expected to end with him reading out a declaration that Mr. Biden is the winner.
After nearly a dozen Republican senators said they plan to object to the certification of the vote on Wednesday, the vice president’s chief of staff, Marc Short, issued a carefully worded statement intended not to anger anyone….
This just came up on twitter….
Senator Grassley the Senate president pro tempore will do the job….
Vice President Pence is chickening out due to the Trump factor….
Coward
Punk Bitch is more accurate
Penec will be there tomorrow and he will read what he is supposed to read and deal with Trump’s fallout after that.
I was wondering if it was somehow clear by tomorrow morning (it likely won’t be) that Democrats won both Senate seats, if it would be Patrick Leahy as the Pro Tem already, but I guess even without the two Georgians, its still 50-50 Republican until 1/20.
I would agree with ya CG….
After this has hit twitter?
Pence will HAVE to be in attendance for historic sake…..
One might guess that if Trump IS gonna go the pardon route he’ll throw down a self one….
CG (and James) we already have a precedent for a 50/50 Senate in the 107th Congress that convened twenty years ago in 2000.
In the fog and controversy surrounding Buah v Gore, it’s often unnoticed what a striking comeback the Democrats were making, flipping six seats won by the GOP in the Gingrich sweep of 1994 to reach parity in 2000.
You may recall that Al Gore presided over the Senate until noon Jan. 20 (effecting a D majority of 51-50), and Dick Cheney thereafter (swinging the balance to D 50 – 51 R until May 24, when Jim Jeffords of Vermont tipped the balance back to D 51 – 49 R by leaving the GOP caucus and caucusing as an independent with the Democrats).
7
I think that the party leaders agreed to split committees almost evenly with an extra seat going to the party then predominating.
However, Kelly Loeffler will continue serving out Johnny Isakson’s 2017-23 term until the official certification of her re-election win or loss, giving the GOP a 50-49 edge.
After the certification and seating, depending on today’s election results, the balance would be 50-50 (with the VP breaking ties), R 51 – 49 D or R 52 – 48 D.
See:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_divisions_of_United_States_Congresses
And I can hardly fail to forgive you, if reading this is as confusing as writing it was.
See also
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/107th_United_States_Congress#Party_summary
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_United_States_Senate_elections
While the Democrats did flip 6 Republican seats, the GOP won 2 Democratic ones (Va & Alas.), for a net D gain of 4 from 46 in the previous (106th) Congress.
I understand ur explanation
A LOT riding on todays Ga vote…
I think the odds of the Pardon Route increased after the recordings in Georgia…I thought before that there was no chance of any Pardon Route, but after that, I don’t know…it certainly increased the odds for sure…
I still do NOT think a Biden Justice Dept woukd indict Trump for anything except a airtight criminal case…
The political damage to the office of the President even after Trump leaves WOULd be a factor….
I DO think several people and officals will be after Trump’s MONEY…
Trump should be worried about state AG’s
As I’ve previously stated ,I see almost no chance that Trump will be prosecuted for the Georgia phone call and ,if he is ,little chance of conviction.
I presume you are referring to the tax investigations in New York.I offer no opinion on that as I have little information as to what is known by the prosecutors.
The NY AG has a civil case going on his organization….She could go criminal…
Rhe Manhattan DA. Has a Grand Jury sitting…
It is unk if Trump is a target…
His organization probably is….
Pence only haa himself to blame for being in this “dilemma”
I use quotation marks because I consider those deciding whether to buy food or medicine with a $600 stimulus to be in real dilemmas.
Pence is just a Republican toady who thought he could ride Trump’s VP slot to a future Presidential run. He deserves every bit of squirming he has to do in his final days as the second Republican one term VP from Indiana on my lifetime.
Politicalwire is reporting Pence HAS informed Trump that he cannot change the EC results…
CG would probably appreciate this opinion piece from National Review:
https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/01/patriots-must-win-the-gop-civil-war/
Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois is now saying he regrets his 2020 vote for Trump.
First of many to come to be saying this in the years ahead..
There WILL BE MORE as the kool aid runs out…