Pulaski County Prosecutor Will Jones announced on Friday that no criminal charges will be filed over the purchase of a $19,000 lectern by the office of Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. An audit had raised concerns about potential violations of state laws on purchasing, state property, and government records. However, Jones stated that after a thorough review, his office found insufficient proof of criminal conduct to warrant charges. Governor Sanders’ spokeswoman, Alexa Henning, stated that the governor’s office followed the law, reimbursed the state with private funds, and dismissed the controversy as manufactured by the far left.
The purchase of the lectern, which attracted nationwide scrutiny, was made in June with a state credit card for $19,029.25 from an events company in Virginia. The Republican Party of Arkansas later reimbursed the state for the purchase, and Sanders’ office attributed the use of the state credit card to an accounting error. The lectern, which has drawn attention due to Sanders’ ties to former President Donald Trump, was received by the office in August. Online listings show similar lectern models priced at $7,500 or less, raising questions about the costs involved in the purchase.
Last year, Arkansas lawmakers requested a review of the purchase, leading to an audit that raised concerns about potential illegal tampering with public records. The audit highlighted discrepancies in the original invoice for the lectern, where the words “to be reimbursed” were added after the state GOP paid for it in September. Prosecutor Jones clarified that the executive assistant who made the notation did not knowingly make a false entry in public records. There were also disputes over whether the governor’s office, as a constitutional officer, is subject to the purchasing and property rules she was accused of violating.
Jones highlighted the ambiguity in Arkansas law regarding the applicability of the General Accounting and Budgetary Procedures Law to constitutional officers like Governor Sanders. He noted conflicting interpretations of the law by auditors and the Arkansas Governor’s Office, which created insufficient evidence to prove a violation of the statute beyond a reasonable doubt. The lack of clarity surrounding the law and its enforcement on constitutional officers contributed to the decision not to pursue criminal charges in this case. Sanders’ office maintained its position that the controversy surrounding the purchase of the lectern was unwarranted and politically motivated by the far left.
