Scrutiny of Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern deepens after new records are released
1 year, 2 months ago

Scrutiny of Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern deepens after new records are released

Associated Press  

— New public records have widened questions over when Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office planned to use Republican Party funds to reimburse the state for a $19,000 lectern, which was bought in June using a government credit card. The Republican Party of Arkansas reimbursed the state for the purchase on Sept. 14, and Sanders’ office has called the use of a state credit card for the lectern an accounting error. “A note was added to the receipt so that it would accurately reflect that the state was being reimbursed for the podium with private funding the governor raised for her inauguration and the check was properly dated,” Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for Sanders’ office, said. The lectern’s purchase was first uncovered last month by Matthew Campbell, a lawyer and blogger who has sued the Arkansas State Police and claimed the agency illegally withheld public documents he requested about Sanders’ travel and security.

Mars Office Republican State Arkansas Hamilton Republican Party Purchase Note Lectern Hickey Email Sanders  purchase  party  records  republican  19000  scrutiny  email  sanders  lectern  arkansas  office  governors  state  note  deepens  released

History of this topic

Prosecutor won’t file criminal charges over purchase of $19K lectern by Arkansas governor’s office
7 months ago

Prosecutor won’t file criminal charges over purchase of $19K lectern by Arkansas governor’s office

Associated Press  

— A prosecutor said Friday he will not file any criminal charges over the purchase of a $19,000 lectern by the office of Arkansas Gov. But Pulaski County Prosecutor Will Jones said that after a “thorough review of the report and supporting documents,” his office determined “criminal charges are not warranted.” There is “insufficient proof of criminal conduct,” Jones said …

Arkansas lawmakers question governor’s staff about purchase of $19,000 lectern cited by audit
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Arkansas lawmakers question governor’s staff about purchase of $19,000 lectern cited by audit

Associated Press  

— Arkansas lawmakers on Tuesday pointedly questioned Gov. “But I do think the lesson learned could be worth far more than that if we would just accept the fact that it was bad judgement and it was carelessness.” The audit released Monday said the governor’s office potentially violated Arkansas laws on purchasing, state property and the handling of government records. …

Audit says Arkansas governor’s office potentially violated laws with $19,000 lectern purchase
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Audit says Arkansas governor’s office potentially violated laws with $19,000 lectern purchase

Associated Press  

Sarah Huckabee Sanders ' office potentially violated state laws on purchasing, state property and government records when it purchased a $19,000 lectern for the Republican governor that’s prompted nationwide attention, an audit requested by lawmakers said Monday. Sanders’ office, which has dismissed questions about the lectern, called the audit’s findings “deeply flawed” and a “waste of taxpayer resources and time.” …

Audit on Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern to be released within next 10 days, lawmaker says
9 months ago

Audit on Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern to be released within next 10 days, lawmaker says

Associated Press  

— The co-chairman of a legislative committee that ordered the audit of a $19,000 lectern bought for Arkansas Gov. Republican Rep. Jimmy Gazaway said he and Republican Sen. David Wallace, who co-chairs the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, received the report from auditors on Friday afternoon and are reviewing it. Gazaway said he wasn’t sure yet whether the report would be …

Completion of audit into Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern has been pushed back to April
9 months, 1 week ago

Completion of audit into Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern has been pushed back to April

Associated Press  

— A report detailing the audit of a $19,000 lectern purchased for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be completed later than expected after the governor’s office said it needed more time for its response, the state’s legislative auditor told lawmakers on Wednesday. Legislative Auditor Roger Norman told a legislative committee in an email that a draft report has been …

Audit of $19,000 lectern purchase for Arkansas governor almost done
11 months ago

Audit of $19,000 lectern purchase for Arkansas governor almost done

Associated Press  

— Arkansas auditors are nearly done looking into the purchase of a $19,000 lectern for Gov. Sanders’ office has faced questions about the seemingly high price of the lectern, as well as its handling of public records about the purchase. The Republican Party of Arkansas reimbursed the state for the purchase on Sept. 14, and Sanders’ office has called the …

Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern remains out of sight, but not out of mind with audit underway
1 year, 2 months ago

Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern remains out of sight, but not out of mind with audit underway

Associated Press  

— From targeting Chinese-owned farmland to banning gender-neutral terms like “pregnant people” from state documents, Arkansas Gov. Sanders has dismissed such questions as a “manufactured controversy” and even chided reporters for chasing what she called “tabloid gossip.” But whether it’s that or a legitimate matter of public accountability, the lectern purchase has drawn the attention of everyone from late-night comic …

Arkansas lawmakers OK plan to audit purchase of $19,000 lectern for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders
1 year, 2 months ago

Arkansas lawmakers OK plan to audit purchase of $19,000 lectern for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Associated Press  

— Arkansas lawmakers on Thursday voted to audit the purchase of a $19,000 lectern for Gov. The all-Republican executive committee of the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee also voted to audit the Republican governor’s travel and security expenditures that were retroactively shielded from public release under a new Freedom of Information Act exemption Sanders signed last month. The Republican Party of …

'Incompetent' or 'actual criminality?' Republican demands probe into Sarah Huckabee Sanders' spending
1 year, 3 months ago

'Incompetent' or 'actual criminality?' Republican demands probe into Sarah Huckabee Sanders' spending

Raw Story  

A Republican state senator in Arkansas requested an audit of his own party’s governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, over the purchase of a $19,000 lectern with a state credit card, the Associated Press reports. According to the AP, Hickey is also asking “for an audit of all matters regarding security and travel records for the governor or her office that were …

$19,000 Lectern For Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Sparks Audit Calls
1 year, 3 months ago

$19,000 Lectern For Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Sparks Audit Calls

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING LITTLE ROCK, Ark. “But this is something the state’s been reimbursed for, and I think there are some people who are always going to be angry and always looking for something to complain about and that’s what they’re picking for right now.” The lectern’s purchase was first uncovered by Matthew Campbell, an attorney and blogger who has …

A $19,000 lectern for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders sparks call for legislative audit
1 year, 3 months ago

A $19,000 lectern for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders sparks call for legislative audit

Associated Press  

— Sarah Huckabee Sanders rose to national prominence in part during her time at the lectern as White House press secretary, but the purchase of a $19,000 lectern for the Arkansas governor is undergoing scrutiny and prompting claims that records about it have been altered. “From my experience, where we’re at with this particular thing is we need to allow …

Discover Related