Key takeaways:
- Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) denied any involvement in conversations with Trump allies regarding the possibility of him presiding over the January 6, 2021 joint session of Congress.
- A spokesperson for the senator said “neither Sen. Grassley nor his staff were ever made aware of any plans to overturn the election.”
- Grassley reiterated his denial of any involvement, saying “I was never involved in any conversations on that or anything.”
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) denied any involvement in conversations with Trump allies regarding the possibility of him presiding over the January 6, 2021 joint session of Congress. During a press conference on Capitol Hill Thursday, Grassley stated that he was not aware of any plans to overturn the election.
“We were talking about presiding over the Senate but a lot of people get that mixed up with some idea that I was going to preside over the joint session,” Grassley said. When pressed about how the mix up happened, Grassley was led away by a staffer and reporters were told the senator’s office could send out a statement to elaborate.
A spokesperson for the senator told HuffPost Thursday that “neither Sen. Grassley nor his staff were ever made aware of any plans to overturn the election.” This was further corroborated by John Eastman, a former lawyer for ex-President Donald Trump, who was asked about the alleged plot during testimony he was forced to give this week. Eastman reportedly dodged the question under oath.
It remains unclear how seriously anyone in Trump’s orbit considered using Grassley — or attempting to use him — to grant Trump a second term in office. Grassley himself reiterated his denial of any involvement, saying “I was never involved in any conversations on that or anything.”
The joint session of Congress is scheduled to take place on January 6, 2021. It is unclear if any further developments will arise in the meantime.
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