Confusion Over VP Pence's Attendance At Joint Session Won't Affect Outcome

There was some mild tumult among Congressional observers earlier on today following comments from Senator Chuck Grassely (R-IA) that seemed to indicate that Vice-President Mike Pence would not turn up to the joint session of Congress tomorrow where, in his role as President of the Senate, he is due to preside over the certification of the electoral college vote in December and officially declare Joe Biden as the next US president.

• Initial reports stated Grassley (who is president pro tempore of the US Senate as the longest-serving US senator from the majority party) had said that in his role as president pro tem that he would preside over the Senate during the certification as he 'did not expect Pence to be there'.
• This led to speculation that VP Pence would not attend the joint session of Congress to certify the results.
• However, Sen. Grassley's office issued a clarification, stating that Grassley was talking about a hypothetical situation in which VP Pence wished to take a break from presiding over the session, given the expectation it could last a long time. They stated Grassley would take over in the Senate should VP Pence need to take a break, not of the overall joint session.
• Should objections be made against any of the states' electoral college votes the joint session will split into the House and the Senate where there will be two hours of debate followed by a vote. It is these potential sessions that Grassely said he may preside over.
• In any event, even if Pence does not attend or preside over the joint session, it is unlikely to halt the certification of the electoral college results.
• There is precedent of the VP not presiding over the joint session certifying the result. In 1968, VP (and defeated presidential candidate) Hubert Humphrey was out of the country attending a funeral leaving Senator Richard Russell (D-GA) to preside over the session.