FILE - The lectern purchased by the Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders administration in June 2023 sits in a corner in the Governor’s Conference Room at the state Capitol, Sept. 26, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark. 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 scrutiny, an audit requested by lawmakers said Monday, April 15, 2024. FILE - Arkansas Gov.
The blue and wood paneled lectern was bought in June with a state credit card for $19,029.25 from an events company in Virginia. The Republican Party of Arkansas reimbursed the state for the purchase on Sept. 14, and Sanders’ office has called the use of the state credit card an accounting error. Sanders’ office said it received the lectern in August.on X, formerly Twitter, featuring the lectern and the words “Come and Take It” shortly after the audit’s release late Monday afternoon.
Sanders’ office and auditors disputed whether the governor and other constitutional officers are subject to the purchasing and property rules she’s accused of violating. The audit said the governor’s office did follow the steps laid out in state law for agencies to dispose of state property.Sanders’ office said in its response that the laws on purchasing and property cited only apply to state agencies, not constitutional officers.