Completion of audit into Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern has been pushed back to April

By ANDREW DeMILLO
Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An audit of a $19,000 lectern that was purchased for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is nearing completion, but officials are awaiting a response from the governor’s office on it. Legislative Auditor Roger Norman told lawmakers Wednesday that a draft report of the audit has been completed, but the governor’s office had requested more time for its response that will be included in the report. Such responses are included in the thousands of audits issued by Legislative Audit each year. The lectern gained national attention and became the focus of intense scrutiny last fall. Sanders has called questions about the lectern a manufactured controversy.