What started with raised eyebrows over a hefty price tag has given rise to questions about the state’s handling of public information requests. Now, a Republican legislative panel will audit the lectern purchase, as well as how Sanders’s office handles open-records requests.
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Arkansas Republicans on Thursday approved an audit of their governor’s purchases after a blogger’s open-records requests unleashed a political storm that has resulted in claims about the state altering public documents.
In a statement to The Washington Post, a spokesperson for Sanders said the governor’s office welcomes the audit, calling the situation “nothing more than a manufactured controversy by left wing activists to distract from the bold conservative reforms the legislature has passed and the governor has signed into law and is effectively implementing in Arkansas.”
Squirrel_Chucks on October 13rd, 2023 at 20:37 UTC »
For anyone who is scratching their heads about this (as I was last week or so when reading about it), this isn't really about a lectern.
Sanders wanted a couple of politically-connected gal pals to hang with her in Paris while she was there for some aerospace convention, but the government wouldn't pay for their travel.
So she invoiced a "lectern" 😉 from one of them for $19k in June, just before the trip.
Like Trump, she wanted taxpayers to foot the bill for her vacation plans. But she done fucked up.
First, she put it on a state issued credit card...which is incredibly stupid because those are often tax exempt, which means they require a lot of documentation on purchases.
Second, she lied when asked about it by a reporter. Sanders said it was paid for with private funds and not taxpayer money...but receipts show otherwise.
Third, she said this was all just a mixup and that the lectern cost was already repaid from private funds...but moves to pay it back with private money weren't made until after a reporter started digging.
Fourth, in the middle of this unfolding scandal, Sanders called a special session of the state legislature to roll back the states transparency and FOIA laws! Specifically, she wanted the governors travel and security funding and arrangements to be secret and undiscoverable by the public. She cited her kids' safety...
Fifth, she showed reporters this supposedly "new" lectern.
Not only does it not look worth $19k, it also looks quite a bit like the one from her inauguration, which was in January 🤔
And sixth, her staffers and aides have been altering the paperwork to make it look like the reimbursement plan was intended all along. Thats called tampering with an official document, kids! So her offices have a few potential criminal defendants sweating bullets atm.
So, good job Sarah Huckleberry Sanders! 👏
You are Making Arkansas Gifting Great Again!
Pauly_Walnutz on October 13rd, 2023 at 19:07 UTC »
Seeing as it’s a GOP led audit she doesn’t have anything to worry about. They have no regard on how they spend the taxpayers money.
mell02020 on October 13rd, 2023 at 19:05 UTC »
“We’ve investigated ourselves and found nothing wrong! Case closed”.