LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. 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.
Legislative auditors referred the findings in the long-awaited audit of the lectern to local prosecutors and the attorney general, and lawmakers planned to hold a hearing Tuesday on the report. The report cited several potential legal violations, including paying for the lectern before it was delivered and the handling of records regarding the purchase.
Sanders’ office, which has dismissed questions about the lectern, called the audit’s findings “deeply flawed” and a “waste of taxpayer resources and time.”
“No laws were broken,” her office said in a response filed with the report. “No fraud was committed.”
Election 2024: Biden and Trump bypassed the Commission on Presidential Debates
Investing in the new: foreign firms tapping into China's emerging industries
US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018
Ahead of United Methodist gathering, African churches weigh their future
DeSmith stops 32 shots and Canucks sweep season series with 3
Demand recovery to be priority
What a blast to work at NASA. Space agency is sky
China's industrial output up 7 pct in Jan