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

Earlier DU thread: WSJ: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Has a $19,000 Lectern Problem

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Source: Associated Press

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

BY ANDREW DEMILLO
Updated 6:50 PM EDT, October 10, 2023

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — 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 Arkansas GOP paid for the lectern in September, but the words “to be reimbursed” were only added later to the original invoice, records released this week show. The undated reimbursement note adds to weeks of scrutiny over the purchase, which has dominated political talk in Arkansas.

A legislative panel is expected to vote this week on a lawmaker’s request for an audit of the lectern’s purchase.

An email about the reimbursement note was among dozens of documents released to The Associated Press on Monday under a Freedom of Information Act request related to the lectern. Republican Sen. Jimmy Hickey, who requested the audit, told the AP that the email “further indicates the need for a full blown audit to get all the facts” but declined to comment further.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/lectern-huckabee-sanders-arkansas-audit-invoice-dba58dd4f1c6cc8bd994052aa98798f5