Freshly released public records have raised additional questions regarding the timeline of Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office’s plans to use Republican Party funds to reimburse the state for a $19,000 lectern. This lectern was acquired in June using a government credit card, and it has now come to light that the phrase “to be reimbursed” was added later to the original invoice, as indicated in recently disclosed records.
The purchase of this lectern has been under intense scrutiny, becoming a prominent topic in Arkansas politics. A legislative panel is anticipated to vote on a request made by a lawmaker for an audit of the lectern’s procurement.
Among the documents released to The Associated Press on Monday under a Freedom of Information Act request related to the lectern, an email discussing the reimbursement note stands out. Republican Senator Jimmy Hickey, who initiated the audit request, commented that this email underscores the necessity for a comprehensive audit to uncover all the facts but refrained from providing further comments.
The custom blue and wood-paneled lectern was purchased in June for $19,029.25 using a state credit card, a notably higher cost compared to similar lecterns available online. The Republican Party of Arkansas reimbursed the state for this purchase on September 14, with Sanders’ office attributing the use of a state credit card for the lectern to an accounting error. Sanders’ office states that they received the lectern in August.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican who previously served as press secretary for former President Donald Trump and was inaugurated as governor in January, has expressed her willingness to undergo an audit of the lectern acquisition. However, she has also downplayed inquiries into the purchase.
Laura Hamilton, who serves as the executive assistant and office manager for Sanders, included the reimbursement note upon receiving instructions, either from her or from the state agency responsible for handling purchasing, as per an email released on Monday. An email from September 15, authored by Cassie Cantlon, an administrative services manager for the Department of Transformation and Shared Services, mentioned that Hamilton refrained from dating the note but followed instructions to add the note indicating that the invoice should be reimbursed.
Sanders’ office confirmed on Tuesday that the note had been added but did not specify who instructed Hamilton to make this addition. They stated that the note was added to ensure the receipt accurately reflected the reimbursement of state funds with private funding raised for the governor’s inauguration.
Attorney Tom Mars, on Tuesday, confirmed that the note is the example of a public record related to the purchase being altered, which he referred to in a letter to Senator Hickey. Mars indicated that he has a client willing to provide a confidential statement to lawmakers who has direct knowledge that Sanders’ office interfered with open records requests. However, Mars clarified that this client is not Cassie Cantlon.
The executive committee of the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee is scheduled to address Senator Hickey’s audit request on Thursday.
The Associated Press sought invoices from the state and communications regarding Beckett Events LLC, the Virginia-based company identified as the seller of the lectern. However, the company did not respond to a request for additional information about the lectern.
Previous emails related to the purchase, released on Monday, did not mention plans for the Arkansas Republican Party to reimburse the state. During an appearance on the TV program Capitol View on Sunday, state Republican Party Chairman Joseph Wood dismissed questions about the purchase but did not clarify whether the original plan involved reimbursement by the party.
Sanders’ office has not detailed the features that contributed to the seemingly high cost of the lectern. The price also covered a road case, taxes, shipping, and a 3% credit card processing fee.
The discovery of the lectern purchase was initially made by Matthew Campbell, a lawyer and blogger who had sued the Arkansas State Police, alleging that the agency unlawfully withheld public documents related to Sanders’ travel and security. Following Campbell’s lawsuit, Sanders proposed measures to limit public access to a wide range of documents. Freshly released public records
Ultimately, legislation restricting public access to her security and travel records was signed into law by Sanders after her initial proposal encountered opposition from media organizations, transparency advocates, and some conservatives.