On the lectern affair

Gov. Sarah Sanders’ trip to Europe and purchase of a $19,000 lectern do not pass the smell test. The lectern was purchased from Beckett Events in Arlington, Va. The owner of Beckett Events, Virginia Beckett, was at Sarah’s inauguration. The website of Beckett Events does not indicate that it sells lecterns. Did Virginia Beckett accompany Sanders to Europe or meet her there? Where did Beckett Events obtain the lectern and how much did it pay for it?

I spent about four hours pricing lecterns on the Internet with different companies. The most expensive one I found that looked like the one Sanders purchased was approximately $7,000. That is a difference of $12,000. Why was the price so inflated? Why did the state Republican Party reimburse the state for the lectern several months later and only after the purchase became public? Why didn’t the state Republican Party purchase the lectern directly?

Sen. Jimmy Hickey is asking for a legislative audit. That is a start. The problem with Legislative Audit is credibility. I worked in state government finance for 40 years and experienced at least 30 audits. It seems Legislative Audit purposely loses its independence depending on the circumstances. I witnessed this happen. A better method would be to hire an audit firm that specializes in forensic accounting or have the FBI perform the audit. Sanders needs to be held accountable.

According to the whistle-blower, documents, including the invoice, have been altered. Part of my career in state government was working in purchasing. The only time I saw an invoice altered by an employee resulted in that person being terminated. It is also unlawful.

I believe Sanders’ sole purpose in calling the recent special session was to dilute the FOIA and hide her dishonesty and corruption concerning the lectern. The tax cuts were just a pretext.

JOHN ROLLANS

Little Rock