Last night President Trump released a statement saying that both he and Mike Pence agreed that Pence had the authority to act to decertify or send back the electoral votes to the states today in the joint session of Congress.
But just a few moments ago, Mike Pence released a statement ahead of today’s joint session, contradicting President Trump, saying that he does not believe he has the authority to accept or reject electoral votes unilaterally:
“Some believe that as Vice President, I should able to accept or reject electoral votes unilaterally. Others believe that electoral votes should never be challenged in a Joint Session of Congress. ….I believe neither view is correct.”
Essentially Pence promises to give a full hearing to the objections, but says that it’s up to members of Congress to accept or reject the electoral votes from the states.
You can read Pence’s full statement below:
