The attorney for an Arkansas whistleblower has sent a letter to the state legislature claiming evidence that Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office manipulated a document linked to her purchase of a $19,000 podium, according to the Arkansas Times.
The whistleblower also claimed to have evidence that Sanders’ office ordered a state agency not to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request for documents that were not exempt from the law.
The documents were requested by attorney and blogger Matt Campbell, who blew the lid off what’s come to be known as Podiumgate.
Taxpayer funds used to buy the lectern were reimbursed by the state Republican Party on Sept. 14—the same day Sanders signed a law that weakened the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
Without seeing this podium, I have no idea what it should be worth. It could be quite expensive. And at that, no one takes on the risk of exposure over a few thousand dollars in maximum kickbacks. There might be some incompetence, low level greed from the builder or even wasteful ego from the politician. But it is not some criminal kickback.
It is so goofy that this makes a bigger splash than the millions and billions of dollars that occasionally are poorly spent and less common, criminally spent.