Pence is a good man. The joint session tied his hands. Looks at his opening statement.

After ascertaining that the certificates are regular in form and authentic, the tellers will announce the votes cast by the electors for each State, beginning with Alabama, which the Parliamentarian has advised me is the only certificate of vote from that State, and purports to be a return from the State, and that has annexed to it a certificate from an authority of that State purporting to appoint or ascertain electors.

He was lied to by the Parliamentarian and thus is cleared of any wrong doing.