New public records have sparked additional questions about when Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' office intended to use Republican Party funds to reimburse the state for a $19,000 lectern purchased in June with a government credit card. Records released this week, obtained by The Associated Press, show that the Arkansas GOP paid for the lectern in September but the words "to be reimbursed" were added to the original invoice later. The undated reimbursement notice has only fueled weeks of scrutiny in the state over the purchase.
This week, a legislative panel is expected to vote on Republican state Sen. Jimmy Hickey's request for an audit of the lectern's purchase. An email about the reimbursement notice was among a number of other documents related to the lectern that were released to AP through a Freedom of Information Act request. Hickey told AP that the email “further indicates the need for a full blown audit to get all the facts.” The custom lectern was bought for $19,029.95 and the Arkansas Republican Party reimbursed the state for the purchase on Sept. 14. Sanders' office called the use of a state credit card for the transaction an accounting error.
