LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers on Tuesday pointedly questioned Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' staff about the $19,000 purchase of a lectern that an audit says potentially violated laws on purchasing, property and government records.
During a nearly three-hour hearing before the committee that requested the audit, the first-term Republican governor's top aides faced skepticism from even some GOP lawmakers over the purchase of the lectern that has drawn national attention.
“I don’t think the lectern's worth $19,000 or $11,500,” Republican Sen. John Payton said. “But I do think the lesson learned could be worth far more than that if we would just accept the fact that it was bad judgement and it was carelessness.”
The audit released Monday said the governor's office potentially violated Arkansas laws on purchasing, state property and the handling of government records. Sanders' office has disputed the audit's findings, calling it deeply flawed.
Judd Deere, Sanders' deputy chief of staff, characterized the audit as a waste of taxpayer resources and said there was no mistake in the office's handling of the purchase. Deere appeared alongside Cortney Kennedy, Sanders' chief legal counsel.
“This is not a mistake,” Deere told the panel. “The podium was a legitimate purchase.”
The blue and wood-paneled lectern was bought in June with a state credit card for $19,029.25 from an events company in Virginia. The Republican Party of Arkansas reimbursed the state for the purchase on Sept. 14, and Sanders’ office has called the use of the state credit card an accounting error. Sanders’ office said it received the lectern in August.
The total cost included $11,575 for the lectern, $2,500 for a “consulting fee,” and $2,200 for the road case. The cost also included shipping, delivery and a credit card processing fee.
Republican Sen. Mark Johnson defended Sanders, though he said he would have recommended she have the state GOP pay for the lectern from the outset.
“This particular procedure should not be politicized,” he said.
Sanders, a Republican who served as press secretary for former President Donald Trump, has dismissed questions about the lectern as a “manufactured controversy,” and the item has not been seen at her public events.
“We can all agree that $19,000 was spent on an item, and no one has really seen it,” Republican Rep. Julie Mayberry said, calling the lectern “a complete waste of money if no one is using it.”
Sanders intends to start using the lectern now that the audit is completed and hadn’t because she didn’t want it to be a distraction, Deere said.
Deere initially told Mayberry that the lectern had been available for any media outlet to view, even though Sanders' office has denied requests by multiple media outlets. The only known media picture of the lectern before Tuesday had been a photo the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ran on its front page last year after Sanders' office allowed the paper to see it.
When The Associated Press asked to see the lectern last year, the governor’s office sent an official photo of it instead. When asked about those requests, Deere later said it hadn't been available for outlets to view since the audit began. The AP and other outlets were able to view and take photos of the lectern at the Capitol after Tuesday's hearing.
Deere said the governor doesn't plan on again using the three out-of-state vendors involved in the lectern's purchase. Auditors said the vendors did not respond to repeated requests for answers about the lectern's purchase.
The legislative audit said Sanders' office potentially violated state law by paying for the lectern before it was delivered and not following steps laid out in state law for agencies to dispose of state property. Sanders' office has argued that the purchasing and property laws the audit cites don't apply to the governor and other constitutional officers.
Two officials from Attorney General Tim Griffin's office, which issued a nonbinding legal opinion days before the audit making the same conclusion, also appeared before the panel.
The audit also said Sanders’ office potentially illegally tampered with public records when the words “to be reimbursed” were added to the original invoice for the lectern only after the state GOP paid for it in September. Sanders has disputed the finding and called such notes a common bookkeeping practice.
Democratic Rep. Tippi McCullough, the House minority leader, asked Deere why Sanders posted a video shortly after the audit was released Monday that featured the lectern, a snippet of a Jay-Z song and the words “Come and Take It.”
“It kind of felt like spiking the football before we’d been through the whole process,” McCullough said.
Deere said the video was shot by a member of Sanders' staff on his own time and that no taxpayer money was used to produce the video.
“It's a tongue-in-cheek video, that's all it is,” he said.
Legislative Auditor Roger Norman told the panel auditors are in the early stages of a second audit that was requested last year into travel and security records that were retroactively made secret under changes to the state's open-records law that Sanders signed last year. Norman did not say when that audit is expected to be completed.
FILE - Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks after taking the oath of office, Jan. 10, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark. 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 scrutiny, an audit requested by lawmakers said Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Will Newton, File)
FILE - The lectern purchased by the Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders administration in June 2023 sits in a corner in the Governor's Conference Room at the state Capitol, Sept. 26, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark. 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 scrutiny, an audit requested by lawmakers said Monday, April 15, 2024. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)
An Arkansas legislative committee hears a report on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at the Arkansas state Capitol complex in Little Rock, Ark., about the audit of a $19,000 lectern purchased for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four law officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and four other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
Some of the officers who rushed to the Charlotte neighborhood to rescue the first wave of downed officers were wounded as a second shooter began firing on them after they killed the wanted man, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said.
“Today we lost some heroes who were out simply trying to keep our community safe,” Jennings said at a news conference.
After a three-hour standoff, the suburban Charlotte home was torn open. Armored vehicles smashed into it, ripping off windows and entire doorways that were left broken. Several armored vehicles were parked across yards, some with tree branches dangling off them.
The U.S. Marshals Task Force was fired on by the wanted suspect as they approached the house and the man was killed in the front yard, Jennings said. His name was not released, but the chief said he was wanted as a felon illegally possessing a weapon.
A second person then fired on officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found, Jennings added.
A woman and a 17-year-old male were found in the home after the standoff. The two are being questioned, Jennings said.
The Marshal’s Service confirmed one of its agents was killed. Two officers from the state Department of Adult Correction also were killed, said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The governor was in Charlotte and was speaking to the families of the officers killed and hurt. Their names have not been released.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Joshua Eyer died a few hours later at the hospital, Jennings said. Eyer was named the officer of the month for the force for April a few weeks ago, the chief said.
“He certainty gave his life and dedicated his life to protecting our citizens,” Jennings said.
One other member of the task force, which is made up of federal agents and other officers from across the region was injured.
Three other Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers who responded to the scene were shot while trying to rescue the wounded officers.
Neighbors said gunfire lasted for several minutes.
WSOC-TV said their helicopter captured an armored vehicle driving through yards and knocking over recycling bins before officers removed a person with blood on their shirt who was then loaded into an ambulance.
After the home was cleared, the helicopter pilot said he couldn't show the front lawn of the home because the scene was too graphic and disturbing.
“A lot of the questions that need to be answered, we don’t even know what those questions are now," Jennings said, somberly briefing reporters less than four hours after the shooting. “We have to get a full understanding of why this occurred and also uphold the integrity of the investigation.”
Many roads in the area including Interstate 77 were closed so ambulances could get to hospitals faster. TV footage showed ambulances speeding to hospitals escorted by vehicles both in front and behind with their sirens wailing.
Rissa Reign was cleaning her house when she heard the first shots ring out. There was a pause, then a second set of shots and then a third. She stepped outside.
“When we came outside, there were no cops at all, then cops started rushing, rushing, rushing, rushing in,” she said, adding armored SWAT trucks quickly followed and they "were going over the grass, everything, and they started shooting again.”
The neighborhood, of one– and two-story, brick homes and small trimmed lawns, is very safe, said Alex Rivera, who lives on a street nearby.
“I see, like, 50 police cars zooming in, and then I hear gunshots,” he said on the front porch of the house he shares with his cousin. “I was scared, because there was so much going on.“
Another neighbor, William Cunningham, was moved to tears as he sat on his porch. He said he is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm but never expected such violence in his own neighborhood.
“Bless those officers and bless their families,” he said. “Nobody should get killed over a warrant.”
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were placed on lockdown around afternoon dismissal, but that was lifted in the late afternoon, the district said.
Police urged people to stay away from the neighborhood and asked residents to remain inside their homes until the all clear was given.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and spoke with Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles to express his condolences and support for the community.
The last marshal shot and killed in the line of duty was in November 2018. Chase White was shot in Tucson, Arizona, by a man wanted for stalking local law enforcement officers, the agency said.
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is headquartered in Charlotte and comprised of 70 federal, state and local agencies. Fugitive task forces are collaborations between agencies to find and arrest suspects in crimes.
In six years, the regional task force has apprehended more than 8,900 fugitives, the U.S. Marshals Service said on its website.
In March 2007, two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were killed while responding to a domestic dispute by someone not directly involved in the fight. Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery is serving a life sentence in the killings of officers Jeffrey Shelton and Sean Clark.
Contributing to this report were Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Rebecca Reynolds in Louisville, Kentucky; and Sarah Brumfield in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officers walk in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Multiple law enforcement vehicles respond in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles gets choked up as she speaks at a press conference regarding a shooting in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Several officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday in North Carolina, home, police said. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings, center, leaves the scene where multiple law enforcement officers were shot on Galway Drive in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday, April 29, 2024. Several officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday in a North Carolina, home, police said. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Members of FBI talk with each other at the scene of a shooting on Galway Drive in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, April 29, 2024, Multiple law enforcement officers were shot while serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
A law officer walks away from the scene of a shooting where multiple law enforcement officers were shot while serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings speaks at a press conference after multiple officers were shot while serving a warrant in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings speaks at a press conference regarding an event where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles gets choked up as she speaks at a press conference regarding a shooting in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Several officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday in North Carolina, home, police said. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte fire department captain Brian Cunningham, right, hugs Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings at a press conference regarding a shooting in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Several officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday in North Carolina, home, police said. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte neighborhood where an officer-involved shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
University of South Florida police officers take pro Palestinian protesters into custody during a march on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024 in Tampa. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks carrying a gun in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks carrying a gun in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officer walks carrying a gun in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. CMPD says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Multiple law enforcement vehicles respond in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Multiple law enforcement vehicles respond in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer carries a gun as he walks in the neighborhood where an officer-involved shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Police in North Carolina say numerous law enforcement officers conducting a task force operation have been struck by gunfire in Charlotte. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is responding to shots fired on Galway Drive in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were conducting an investigation in a suburban neighborhood when they were fired upon, the CMPD said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. (Melissa Rodriguez/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Police work at the scene of a shooting Monday, April 29, 2024, in east Charlotte, N.C. Officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were conducting an investigation in a suburban neighborhood when they were fired upon, the CMPD said in a post on X. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Multiple law enforcement officers were shot Monday, April 29, 2024, in east Charlotte, N.C., the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department said. Officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were conducting an investigation in a suburban neighborhood when they were fired upon, the CMPD said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
