McConnell: Trump election claims include 'sweeping conspiracy theories'

'We cannot simply declare ourselves a national board of elections on steroids'. Noting that the presidential election was "not unusually close," Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged his colleagues not to object to the electoral vote count.

The Senate leader, between a series of emotional remarks, said that the vote to certify the Electoral College results was the most important vote in his 36 years in office.

"Our nation deserves a lot better than this," the Kentucky Republican said in opening remarks.

At least 13 Republican senators have said they will object to the results favoring President-elect Joe Biden in some fashion.

McConnell noted that every election features "some illegality," which he called "unacceptable." He said he supported state-led voting reforms and said that pandemic voting procedures "must not become the new norm."