Legislators scrutinize $19K lectern purchase by Gov. Sanders' office following audit report 

In simple words - the governor got caught cooking the books to pay for a lavish vacation for the governor and her two friends.

Anyone want to ask the obvious question of who buys a podium from a company that doesn't sell podiums and happens to be a personal friend? Way to sweep corruption under the rug. Sad

When you fear integrity and accountability, you are NOT the good guys!

Face it Arkansas, she used taxpayer money to finance a party for herself and her girlfriends in Paris.

The conservative party. A 19k lecturn then soon later a vacation with the same person who sold it. Captain obvious

See here we go. The Republicans are sticking up for her when they know she did wrong.

Lock her up. Vote BLUE

So if a bank robber returns the money he avoid being prosecuted for his crimes? That is the argument from the Governor’s side.

Sarah needs to be held accountable. Please people of Arkansas vote her out.

When people are willing to lie to our faces under oath

What a bunch of BS. Another crooked politician. Welcome to the club.

One word . . . ; BUSTED !!! 😑😑😑😑

After listening to all 2 1/2 hours of this committees, commentary and questioning what I take away is a bunch of legislators tiptoeing around, scared to talk about the honest truth with hard questions and using technicalities to keep their governor from having to be held accountable. It reaches the highest levels of the AG offices and sending these peons to come down and live for the governor… It’s all very sickening when it’s so simple to tell the truth. All I can tell you is, I hope the feds take over and press charges!!!

More proof of why George Santos is STILL the perfect poster-child for today's Republican party

I heard about this like a year and a half ago....glad to see the traction it has finally taken. Miss Huckabee should be ashamed of herself....along with her equally vile friends.

Way to handle the tax dollars of hard working Arkansa voters, $19,000 for a podium :O The average income of Arkansas constituents is $32,000. Gov Huckabee does not care about the needs of the people of Arkansas. Wow.

Why look? This is run by the same party? They will say a purchase 😂 of a 19k podium is fine... they will say that modifying an invoice after the fact is fine... buying it from a non-podium company is fine... getting a public podium purchase REPAID by a non-government person who is friendly to the governor is... fine... save the money and just accept the corruption you voted in...

Here’s the deal Arkansas… I just listened to the 2 1/2 hour audit hearing in front of the legislature. The bottom line is the attorney general is a maga right wing, who is supporting the governor and had his cronies show up with the audit department to present the facts in a strictly detailed analytical format without pointing fingers. the legislators were tiptoeing around with their questions, unable to ask hard questions Telling everyone that the governors been doing a great job for the state of Arkansas and I can tell you right now this thing is being whitewashed and they will take no further action against the governor. This whole incident has been a complete embarrassment to the state of Arkansas and all they wanna do is put it to bed and make it go away… The only chance we have for justice is for the feds to investigate… But they have to pick and choose, and they may not want to waste Their resources on the incident. Governor Huckabee is a corrupt lying cheating stealing politician who used state funds to pay her girlfriend she had to trip to Paris with.

Oh Nobody Responded?? Well Go Ahead and File Charges of Fraud. Make Them Lawyer Up & Give Depositions. Maybe these Lying Republicans Will tell the truth, but Doubtful.

It has been referred to the 6th Judicial District prosecuting attorney for possible criminal charges.

Lock her up. They are all crooks.

They keep saying "potentially violated" or "potential non-compliance." Which is it? You have rules. Those rules were not followed.

Vote her out.

The company in question does NOT make a podium costing more than 7000 $us, and they should have a record from the 'sale' also.

Let's talk about corruption , we all know that nothing is going to happen to these people , they will continue to do whatever they can get away with which is stealing from the taxpayers..?

Word for word lies from governors staff,

He thinks having an audit is a waste of our money… But paying more than $19,000 for a stupid podium is not wasting money…

She either learned her ETHICs from her DAddy or Donald Trump. I would be embarrassed by the Governor of my State if they did something so brazen as this.

If the podium is for general use of the Republican Party of Arkansas, why was it custom made? If it belongs to the RPA, why is it in her office, and the travel case at the RPA? Why didn’t the RPA purchase the podium directly without using public funds?

Let’s hear the lies.

Put her in jail!!!!!

Although this may not seem to be a big deal, the investigation may uncover other abuses of state policies. The fact the governor refuses to talk about it only makes it more intriguing.

#MeidasTouch

Arkansas, holding their grifting Governor accountable? … I won’t hold my breath. Again, Arkansas…

Sarah probably wonders why Daddy's trick didn't work when she tried using it.

She should have never been able to purchase the Podium with a P-Card. Raising the P-Card limit from $5000 to $25000 should have never been allowed!

Over $19k for a fucking podium????!!??....Christ, all you do is stick your hands on it and put papers on it..?....

Huckabee should resign.

What a convoluted load of hooey. Dancing around in their masterbatory propaganda. They stole 20 grand from the state for trips and parties, then called it a podium . PERIOD

Taxpayers money was not used. Except to purchase the Lectern while waiting to be paid back based off a handwritten note. placed on the invoice after the FOIA request came in. Oh and we didn't learn anything since there have been so many including the AG who have protected us so much that members had to mention I several times in this meeting and what are we going to do differently, nothing because nothing was done wrong based off our corrupt friends who protected us as we ripped off the taxpayer. That lady lawyer trying to school that Giv body Lawyer who has been in Govt shows the audacity and balls on these people while ripping off taxpayer.

2500.00 for consultation fee???😂😂😂

Holding your feet to the fire #GovHuckabee.😉

She has more than enough of her own money to take a trip with her friends but wanted to stick taxpayers with her bill. Stupidly sloppy in trying to cover it up.

You get what you vote for.

2:35:51 Finally we know who LH is, but I strongly suggest they follow the scent left on the trail. Somebody is definitely lying about the intent of that alteration of said public record.

Federal charges for corruption. Remove the entire governor's office and the corrupt attorney general

This show you how bad her judgement is this is sad Arkansas is poor enough

$10,000 - $15,000 for something to stand behind, rest papers on, with maybe a sound system?? That is a ridiculous waste of taxpayers money!!

I have NEVER seen such tap dancing around wrong doing. Republican corruption at its finest! Absolutely despicable!!!! She went to Paris and partied with her friends.

Huckabee staff.. Liar, Liar, Liar, Liar.

Did Ms. Beckett pay for the trip to France for all the ladies and then she was paid back with an inflated podium purchase by the governor?

The fix is in. Red state politics.

I can just imagine Sarah Hucksterbee watching this audit with that usual awful scowl she has on her face!

I’m making a citizens arrest, she used some of my tax dollars without my permission. That’s stealing, she’s a thief. Throw her in jail for being stupid.

Recommendations are all they have to do! Where is the Attorney General! Legal counsel for the Governor? They just lie for Huckabee

For any honest person in this meeting watching whats occuring, you know have become part of the problem itself

another honest "Christian". I wouldn't trust any of them with a puppy!

Order order her to bring it to the committee let the committee see it personally I’ll bet you she won’t bring it

Impeachment would be justified.

She got caught and they are trying to cover up for her.

Lock her up lock her up with DJ Trump they would make a great couple

It's custom built, but it doesn't even have a microphone, and it costs 19000+ dollars !!!!!.

But did they find an actual lecturn they could see and touch

My opinion it was really expensive they could have bought a car. The amount is crazy it shouldn't have been that high.

She is so corrupt ,get rid of her !!!

Nothing like a cover up.

What’s to scrutinize? It’s pretty clear isn’t it? Even if her intentions were good (which they were not), then this wilful misuse of public funds is at very least a sackable offence. Why should things take so long? I’m sick of it. If this were you or I, you would be sacked on the spot. Elected officials even should be removed from office.

That's a rip-off for what they paid

975 $ for shipping of a road case? Give me a break

Just accept that all this money was spent on the vacation of three gals including the governor to Paris.

Shameful behavior and backing up of easy to see misuse of resources. What lengths they go to justifying terrible behavior.

So tired of lies and insanity Vote blue get everyone you can to vote

That remark about this being partisan: Senator Payton and Rep Dalby are both Republicans. They were quite sharply critical. And to the guy who said "altering is not tampering," and statements about normal accounting matters: when you annotate a dated document, you put a date on the annotation; by not adding a date for the annotation, she suggested that was true as of the document date. The explanation that the note "to be reimbursed" was written by a person who had a check in hand when she wrote it sounds dishonest. Why didn't she write "has been reimbursed"?

Of course she wasted the taxpayers money. The hucks are CROOKS. I’m shocked that she is even being investigated. She’ll fire them.

Senators Chesterfield and Payton are amazing! Cut through the fluff and get to the point. The guy from the AG's office who refused to answer Senator Chesterfield's question reminded me of Trump's attorney not wanting to answer questions from the appeals court and SCOTUS.

Hope she gets indicted!

The only way she'll be held accountable is if the Feds get involved

With a panel that does not look like a diverse group of people how bias can they be? Huckabee should be told to step down.

"well, there's holes where you could send electronics through" MY GOD the mental gymnastics to defend this vile human

Come on people I can see there’s something wrong and I’m a Republican that a Republican come that bad but now we still need money to take trips come out Republicans. We need to get our head out of our a📪📪

Embezzlement. Its called embezzlement.

She’s corrupt AF

The office identified that they needed the podium, we just haven't used it since. I think that guy needs to identify the "need".

Explain the $2500 consulting fee for the ugliest most expensive lectern in existence. It looks like a child designed it.

So...at the time budgets are appropriated, the Office of the Governor is an agency, but when they spend the funds, they can escape the controls on how appropriated funds are spent?

This is an indication that the citizens and press need to continue to scrutinize their government in the future. Once it is uncovered and swept under the rug the crooks have free reign to continue and need the pressure from outside to bring light to these actions.

This is clear cut scandal. Who buy a podum for 19k what is it made of gold???

I am a carpenter.I would gladly build for any government office,A podium for 1500 dolars.Of simular or greater value than the one this crook bought.

Sarah is emulating her mentor's path. It's perplexing why those with substantial wealth are often perceived as the first to deceive the government. Where could Sarah be? Charging $21,000 for a podium is an amount greater than what some families earn in a year. From the outset, the purchase of this podium was an unwise investment.

I love how they're spending so much time talking about a thing and a process that never actually existed until after the money was spent. This was an exercise in "let's pretend" to protect the governor.

10-15k for a podium. I'm in the wrong business. Holy smokes that is insanely costly.

I don't want to hear the details of this fraud, the only thing I want to hear is the judge's statement when he/she says guilty and the years in prison.

Lies can be measured by their length. This is some amateurish sewn together pile of Pooh. To complicated to be true.

she still has to deal with the Feds

So, if I rob a bank, but get caught so return it, I've done nothing wrong? Arkansas, 45th in education, defends their Governor stealing from them

She bought a $ 19,000 lecturn any cabinet maker could have made that for $ 1,000 enough said

Jus the credit card processing fee of over 500 bucks is so ridiculous. I doubt if anyone can ever justify such amounts. Either tue credit card company or the governor's office is acting criminally to come up with such an amount.

Like father like daughter. Griftin' the night away.

"It was preferable that the party office paid for it" because we thought that would shut up everyone. They were clearly trying to spend funds that they were about to lose. They used an operations allocation (described as maintenance) to purchase a capital item and in all ways made the whole purchase look crooked.

The Republican way!