Audit of Arkansas $19,000 lectern purchase reveals technical errors in paperwork, compliance
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A long-awaited report from the Arkansas Legislative Audit disclosed the details of a lectern purchase that raised concerns.
According to the report released on Monday afternoon, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s office was potentially non-compliant with state law in seven areas, including paying for the lectern before it was delivered, capitalizing it as an operating expense and improper record keeping.
Draft audit report of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ lectern purchase complete
The governor’s office responded that it was “exonerated” by the audit’s outcome. It calls the audit “deeply flawed” in its response, an appendix to the report.
“No laws were broken. No fraud was committed,” the response concludes.
“The facts outlined in the report demonstrate what the governor’s office said all along: we followed the law, and the state was fully reimbursed with private funds for the podium, at no cost to the taxpayers,” the governor’s spokesperson Alexa Henning said.
One area of concern is the audit report stating that the governor’s office’s shredding of the lectern’s bill of lading was a potential violation of the records requirement.
A governor’s office spokesperson told auditors the shredding was inadvertent. The office also stated in its response that a replacement bill of laden was acquired.
The lectern and case were purchased in June 2023 using a state credit card for $19,029.25. The audit stated that this was a violation of state policy since a purchase order was not used.
The report also stated that upon receipt, the governor’s staff found the podium was not the correct height, the point of custom-ordering it. Auditors reported not being able to confirm the custom order due to a lack of formal purchasing documents or invoices.
Sanders stated at a news conference in September 2023 that she required a shorter-than-typical lectern, and that was why it was ordered.
Tension after Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders asked about podium at news conference
The Legislative Audit also stated in its report that it was not able to determine if this was a reasonable price since none of the vendors it contacted for pricing information responded.
The auditors also found that no effort was made to seek reimbursement for the purchase until after a Freedom of Information Act request was made to the governor’s office for purchase records of the lectern.
The Legislative Audit maintained that the reimbursement process by the Republican Party of Arkansas was in violation of state policy for surplus property.
State Sen. Greg Leding (D-Fayetteville) spoke on the controversy and subsequent audit.
“This doesn’t do any elected official or any politician any favors,” Leding said. “Any time something like this happens it’s a bad look for us.”
State Sen. Ben Gilmore (R-Crossett) also shared his thoughts on the audit.
“If you support the governor and you think she’s doing a great job and you love the policies she’s pushing, that’s not gonna change your mind about her,” Gilmore said. “And if you didn’t like the governor going into all this and you think she’s doing a terrible job, your mind’s not going to be changed either.”
The governor’s office responded that it is not a state agency but a constitutional office, making it exempt from the majority of reporting requirements.
Auditors concluded that the report is being forwarded to the Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney and the Attorney General.
Sixth Judicial District Prosecutor Will Jones confirmed Monday evening his office had received the audit and was reviewing it.
“It’s important to note, that this review is no different than any other file review sent by an investigating authority to the Prosecuting Attorney,” Jones said.
The governor released a video on social media shortly after the audit was released.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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