Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders ’ office potentially violated state laws on purchasing, state property and government records when it purchased a $19,000 lectern for the Republican governor that’s prompted nationwide attention, an audit requested by lawmakers said Monday.

Legislative auditors referred the findings in the long-awaited audit of the lectern to local prosecutors and the attorney general, and lawmakers planned to hold a hearing Tuesday on the report. The report cited several potential legal violations, including paying for the lectern before it was delivered and the handling of records regarding the purchase.

Sanders’ office, which has dismissed questions about the lectern, called the audit’s findings “deeply flawed” and a “waste of taxpayer resources and time.”

  • FuglyDuck
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    117 months ago

    That’s…. Pretty much text book money laundering.

    • @Cornelius_Wangenheim
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      317 months ago

      It’s embezzlement. Money laundering is taking illegally acquired money and making it appear to be legitimate.

    • circuscritic
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      7 months ago

      It has literally nothing to do with money laundering.

      It’s theft/embezzlement, and probably some other financial fraud related crimes, none of which are money laundering.

      • FuglyDuck
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        17 months ago

        Not exactly.

        They could have just straight up embezzled it. The purpose of buying something overpriced is to make that purchase seem reasonable on a line item.

        The lectern itself is money laundering to cover up embezzlement, yes. Because some one is gonna notice 15k missing pretty quickly.