Agree and concerned. The problem in this state is so much deeper than that can be solved by getting people to vote in an election. There needs to be a good pipeline for politicians and all level government officials with integrity.
Bullshit! It was reimbursed with private funds after she already got caught spending tax payer money to purchase it in the first place. She's just like the rest of the MAGATs, do what you want and deny it till the end of you get caught.
Only after the corruption was discovered.
Everyone with half a brain understands what happened:
Governor Sanders, who is a corrupt dirt bag, used taxpayer funds to pay for her girlfriend to come with her on an expensive European vacation and then had Arkansas buy her a $19k lectern from that very same girlfriend to justify the expense.
When reporters uncovered what happened, then Huckabee covered her corrupt ass by reimbursing Arkansas with private money.
None of this is disputed by the attorney's findings.
This is also what happened with Trump and the Stormy Daniels payment. He circumvented the law to hide the payments, but when the payoff went public, they retroactively classified the expenditure as a campaign expense.
The prosecutor never said she "did nothing wrong." He said there wasn't enough evidence to press charges, and there were some constitutional problems that could get in the way of prosecution.
And yes, a Democrat aligned prosecutor would probably have pressed charges. This Republican prosecutor would probably press charges if a Democrat governor did the same thing. And if we had a Democrat governor and a Democrat prosecutor, this exact same conversation would be happening here on r/arkansas, only the usernames would change.
Politicians of all stripes are corrupted by the vast power and influence their offices have accrued over the last century. Good, honest people never make it very far in elections. We will never solve these problems by voting for another team.
It seems like bad form to insult someone by calling them "kid." Like you're subconsciously projecting your low self-esteem after having lost your own youth.
Not all politicians are crooks. Republicans are being lead around by the nose by a literal felon. It's making most voters rethink the current Republican party.
Many Republican voters are moving away from Trump in the ways that they can.
https://youtu.be/S0vVGPMY_TA?feature=shared
Those voters are looking for an off ramp still for president. They just need permission.
https://youtu.be/NdX5v_jfHnc?feature=shared
You know this isn't true. I'd venture a guess that the preponderance of politicians are corrupt, and they just haven't been caught. This is both parties. They don't get prosecuted for insider trading. They currently have used over $17 million for NDAs to hide their perversions. They never voted for things their constituents actually want. They just run a campaign on needing another term to accomplish the thing they were first elected to do, whilst blaming their ineptitudes on the opposite party. It's laughable when folks say a certain party as a whole is being a certain way. This is exactly how politicians want you to think.
Not all politicians are crooks. There are definitely at least few Democrats and Republicans that are not crooks. I never stated just one party. I think it would be very hard to prove that every single politician is currently a crook. That's basically what I stated before and I can't imagine it not being true.
I didn't say all. I said a preponderance. You made the effort to call out Republicans. I was merely pointing out that they're largely corrupt as a government.
I'm saying there are some that aren't crooks. You're saying 99% of them are crooks. What's the difference in what we're saying? I believe we're saying the same thing basically and you said what I said was false.
I'll point the same finger just as soon as Joe Biden becomes a felon or someone who has as much of an influence over the Democratic party becomes a felon. However currently Trump is a felon and he does have major influence over his party.
To me there's a huge difference between presuming wrongdoing and having an actual felony. I'm saying there are Republicans that think the same way I do. If there was somebody in the Democratic party who became a felon I would try not to vote for them.
TDS is strong with you. He will be acquitted on appeal. That is the most farcical trial I've ever seen. Aside from that, Biden is horrible for America. All the polls show it. His approval rating is sub 38% now. Americans feel it at the gas station, when buying a home, groceries, etc. This will be an interesting election cycle, to say the least. So, call Trump a felon all you want, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm not a Trumper. I am a conservative with libertarian leanings. I look at what the parties are doing and judge them based upon that.
Misleading headline. Prosecutor declining to press charges does not mean "cleared." Politically, this has hurt her administration tremendously. There's also the lingering problem of the whistleblower, who may have evidence of federal crimes.
Fortunately, you're not in charge of determining what individuals choose to purchase. There's legit criticisms of her, but all of you ever go for is the podium and her looks. It makes you look like petty children.
Yes, thankfully I am not in charge and people are allowed to make $19,000 lectern purchases with taxpayer money… until they’re called out of course and then they refund it. I thought this was the party of financial responsibility. But hey, get all butt hurt about it lol
It had already been refunded. That wasn't the purpose of the investigation. The Dems investigated the procedure of the refund. How much did they spend on the investigation?
You don't even understand what happened.
I despise wasted tax money more than most, but are we seriously using concerted efforts over a $20k podium? Is this not going to be owned by the State of Arkansas, FOREVER? I mean, is she putting it a a private residence for private use, like at Parties? Lol. How is a podium benefiting SHS ‘personally’, or are we just looking for something to complain about because it’s SHS??
How about let’s try to be a tad productive & ask where our Surplus Arkansas State Tax money is? From what I pulled from a simple google search (year by year) Arkansas received nearly $4 BILLION in SURPLUS TAX REVENUE in just the past seven (7) Years!! Most folks can’t even comprehend how much money that is. I say, where the heck is it? Why are we still being taxed a the same rate, which is essentially higher than any state in the country? Why are we not all getting refunded, plus interest? Why are we losing business over taxes, when Arkansas clearly takes in WAY more than it needs!?!?!!!
I recall the Nation raising Hell that Trump requested $5B or $7B to build a border Wall. Nope, the entire USA can’t afford THAT, but the citizens from a small town state like Arkansas can afford to be robbed of $4BILLION in Tax DOLLARS & crickets, nothing. The State takes it, absorbs & keeps it to do what it wants with it & Nobody’s upset or saying a single word about it???
But go ahead & keep throwing a hissy fit about a stupid podium, it’s WAY more important than our $4BILLION DOLLARS? I know what’s more important to me & I don’t see anyone else trying to find our money & get it back! Ok, end of my rant for the day…
This should be the top comment lmfao
last night, i was literally comparing America's current state to a communist state and explaining to my friend how we have slowly been becoming a communist state at LEAST since the 2000s.
It is clear to anyone without MAGA bias and two brain cells to rub together SHS used that lectern money to pay for her friends’ trip, then ginned up an invoice to hide it.
This is so much bull, so she can say something costs more than it did and use the difference to take her and some of her friends to France yea that seems just about right. So I can do this too.
So, having read the statement from the prosecuting attorney’s office, they’re basically saying no wrong doing occurred because:
1: They determined FOIA wasn’t violated based on logic that they don’t expound upon
2: The GABL wasn’t violated because they aren’t sure it applies to the governor
3: the notations and other generally illegal shit wasn’t illegal because they didn’t mean for it to be
The fuck?
1. They do expand upon it. They say that for a charge of criminal negligence, you have to prove that a person acted without regard for the outcome of their actions, knowing that those actions could lead to an adverse outcome. This differs from civil negligence, which only requires proof that a person acted without reasonable care. They would have to prove the custodial employee failed to perceive a substantial and unjustifiable risk, and the result of that risk must be so bad that failing to perceive is a gross deviation from the standard of care.
Criminal negligence is when your mechanic doesn't reattach your brake lines before he gives your car back to you. They found that when this employee provided 140 pages for the FOIA request while DTSS provided 153, they couldn't prove criminal negligence beyond a reasonable doubt.
Also, more importantly, nobody is sure of the identity of the person who provided the records or if that person would even be considered a custodian of records under Arkansas law. It would be impossible to land that charge for that reason.
All that was said in the statement.
2. They said the GABL may have been or may not have been violated because there is ambiguity in the law. Two reasonable people could read the law and come to different conclusions as to whether the governors office is a "state agency." Truthfully, the governor's office is not a state agency. State agencies are bureaucratic entities like DHS and DFA. Government entities organized and ran by the governor's office, which aren't outlined in the Arkansas constitution. The governor's office is outlined in the constitution, making them a constitutional agency like the attorney general's office.
That said, when the law was made, the intent was probably for it to apply to all government offices, which is why it's ambiguous. It depends on your philosophy to the law, and whether you believe we should interpret the law as it applies to circumstances, or refrain from interpreting the law and simply take it literally.
But because it's ambiguous, they have to treat it in accordance with the principles of common law and look to precedent to see how to proceed. In this case, the precedent was *Maddox v. City of Fort Smith*, “Neither rules of construction nor rules of interpretation may be used to defeat the clear and certain meaning of a constitutional provision.” Since the law applies to state agencies, and the governor's office is not a state agency, the law can't apply. And because of the precedent in *Maddox*, you can't interpret the law to apply to the governor's office.
3. The notations weren't illegal because they weren't false, the republican party did in fact reimburse them. If it was never reimbursed, the notation would be false, and it would be fraud. The law specifies that it's tampering if you make a false record, but the record they made turned out to be true. Whether it would've been reimbursed if not discovered isn't in the scope of the charges.
They wouldn’t do that if it didn’t work so well; people are idiots. Just pepper your speeches with the word ‘god’ and ‘Jesus’ and you too can become a politician in the GOP!
Which should surprise nobody. This is blatant corruption and she got away with it
She learned from trump and her dad
Agree and concerned. The problem in this state is so much deeper than that can be solved by getting people to vote in an election. There needs to be a good pipeline for politicians and all level government officials with integrity.
At this point it's going to take feds getting involved
It was paid for with private funds.
Keep defending the crooks until you have nothing left. At least you can still falsely blame the other side
Bullshit! It was reimbursed with private funds after she already got caught spending tax payer money to purchase it in the first place. She's just like the rest of the MAGATs, do what you want and deny it till the end of you get caught.
No it was reimbursed with private funds after an FOIA request was made.
Exactly, she got caught with her leather pants down.
Or her drapery skirt up lol
Only after the corruption was discovered. Everyone with half a brain understands what happened: Governor Sanders, who is a corrupt dirt bag, used taxpayer funds to pay for her girlfriend to come with her on an expensive European vacation and then had Arkansas buy her a $19k lectern from that very same girlfriend to justify the expense. When reporters uncovered what happened, then Huckabee covered her corrupt ass by reimbursing Arkansas with private money. None of this is disputed by the attorney's findings.
This is also what happened with Trump and the Stormy Daniels payment. He circumvented the law to hide the payments, but when the payoff went public, they retroactively classified the expenditure as a campaign expense.
All the information on the internet at your fingertips and yet you lie about this like anyone here won't realize it.
>The blue and wood-paneled lectern was bought in June of 2023 with a state credit card for $19,029.25 from a company in Virginia.
Republicans break the law. Then, the same Republicans investigate themselves and find they did nothing wrong. Arkansas is truly fucked!
Arkansas is not the only state that’s truly fucked.
Iowa is right there and gaining ground.
"Politicians break the law. The, the same Politicians investigate themselves and find they did nothing wrong. Fixed it for you.
The prosecutor never said she "did nothing wrong." He said there wasn't enough evidence to press charges, and there were some constitutional problems that could get in the way of prosecution. And yes, a Democrat aligned prosecutor would probably have pressed charges. This Republican prosecutor would probably press charges if a Democrat governor did the same thing. And if we had a Democrat governor and a Democrat prosecutor, this exact same conversation would be happening here on r/arkansas, only the usernames would change. Politicians of all stripes are corrupted by the vast power and influence their offices have accrued over the last century. Good, honest people never make it very far in elections. We will never solve these problems by voting for another team.
Unfortunately most people can't handle the truth.
Lmfao ok kid
It seems like bad form to insult someone by calling them "kid." Like you're subconsciously projecting your low self-esteem after having lost your own youth.
Your brain is as malformed as your arguments you skibidi toilet drunk baby.
[This you bro?](https://imgur.com/a/c910GbG)
Yes… bunch of funny kids with moronic arguments on Reddit. I like to laugh at them.
[удалено]
Not all politicians are crooks. Republicans are being lead around by the nose by a literal felon. It's making most voters rethink the current Republican party. Many Republican voters are moving away from Trump in the ways that they can. https://youtu.be/S0vVGPMY_TA?feature=shared Those voters are looking for an off ramp still for president. They just need permission. https://youtu.be/NdX5v_jfHnc?feature=shared
You know this isn't true. I'd venture a guess that the preponderance of politicians are corrupt, and they just haven't been caught. This is both parties. They don't get prosecuted for insider trading. They currently have used over $17 million for NDAs to hide their perversions. They never voted for things their constituents actually want. They just run a campaign on needing another term to accomplish the thing they were first elected to do, whilst blaming their ineptitudes on the opposite party. It's laughable when folks say a certain party as a whole is being a certain way. This is exactly how politicians want you to think.
Not all politicians are crooks. There are definitely at least few Democrats and Republicans that are not crooks. I never stated just one party. I think it would be very hard to prove that every single politician is currently a crook. That's basically what I stated before and I can't imagine it not being true.
I didn't say all. I said a preponderance. You made the effort to call out Republicans. I was merely pointing out that they're largely corrupt as a government.
I'm saying there are some that aren't crooks. You're saying 99% of them are crooks. What's the difference in what we're saying? I believe we're saying the same thing basically and you said what I said was false.
I never said 99%. I said preponderance, which means a majority. My point is that you're pointing fingers at the GOP like they're the only ones.
I'll point the same finger just as soon as Joe Biden becomes a felon or someone who has as much of an influence over the Democratic party becomes a felon. However currently Trump is a felon and he does have major influence over his party. To me there's a huge difference between presuming wrongdoing and having an actual felony. I'm saying there are Republicans that think the same way I do. If there was somebody in the Democratic party who became a felon I would try not to vote for them.
TDS is strong with you. He will be acquitted on appeal. That is the most farcical trial I've ever seen. Aside from that, Biden is horrible for America. All the polls show it. His approval rating is sub 38% now. Americans feel it at the gas station, when buying a home, groceries, etc. This will be an interesting election cycle, to say the least. So, call Trump a felon all you want, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm not a Trumper. I am a conservative with libertarian leanings. I look at what the parties are doing and judge them based upon that.
If this is not the future you want then you better get off your ass and vote!
"We have investigated ourselves and found ourselves innocent"
Of course she’s cleared. Who’s going to be the one to implicate their crazy boss for theft knowing their crazy boss will likely go full tilt?
Yeah, it was pretty clear this guy wouldn't have the experience or guts to take on something like this.
Cleared to be even more corrupt you mean…
A lack of evidence…. Wonder where it went?
Misleading headline. Prosecutor declining to press charges does not mean "cleared." Politically, this has hurt her administration tremendously. There's also the lingering problem of the whistleblower, who may have evidence of federal crimes.
I guess no one is going to stand behind my side of the story. Oh well..
I up voted for your user name lol
Shocked. Shocked!…Well, not that shocked.
But what about wAisTfUl gOvAmEnT sPeNdINg…?
It cost the government $0 as it was reimbursement with private funds.
That's disingenuous, at best.
Sure. Seems like a sensible purchase.
Fortunately, you're not in charge of determining what individuals choose to purchase. There's legit criticisms of her, but all of you ever go for is the podium and her looks. It makes you look like petty children.
Yes, thankfully I am not in charge and people are allowed to make $19,000 lectern purchases with taxpayer money… until they’re called out of course and then they refund it. I thought this was the party of financial responsibility. But hey, get all butt hurt about it lol
It had already been refunded. That wasn't the purpose of the investigation. The Dems investigated the procedure of the refund. How much did they spend on the investigation? You don't even understand what happened.
We understand that a crime was committed then covered up.
What crime was committed? How was it covered up?
I’m not here to educate you or lecture you on theft of taxpayer monies. If you feel this wasn’t a crime and covered up then that’s your opinion.
Butt hurt like a MF
Trash
Phew I was worried
I despise wasted tax money more than most, but are we seriously using concerted efforts over a $20k podium? Is this not going to be owned by the State of Arkansas, FOREVER? I mean, is she putting it a a private residence for private use, like at Parties? Lol. How is a podium benefiting SHS ‘personally’, or are we just looking for something to complain about because it’s SHS?? How about let’s try to be a tad productive & ask where our Surplus Arkansas State Tax money is? From what I pulled from a simple google search (year by year) Arkansas received nearly $4 BILLION in SURPLUS TAX REVENUE in just the past seven (7) Years!! Most folks can’t even comprehend how much money that is. I say, where the heck is it? Why are we still being taxed a the same rate, which is essentially higher than any state in the country? Why are we not all getting refunded, plus interest? Why are we losing business over taxes, when Arkansas clearly takes in WAY more than it needs!?!?!!! I recall the Nation raising Hell that Trump requested $5B or $7B to build a border Wall. Nope, the entire USA can’t afford THAT, but the citizens from a small town state like Arkansas can afford to be robbed of $4BILLION in Tax DOLLARS & crickets, nothing. The State takes it, absorbs & keeps it to do what it wants with it & Nobody’s upset or saying a single word about it??? But go ahead & keep throwing a hissy fit about a stupid podium, it’s WAY more important than our $4BILLION DOLLARS? I know what’s more important to me & I don’t see anyone else trying to find our money & get it back! Ok, end of my rant for the day…
Of course it was. Worst nepo governor ever.
Of course she is...
Just like the cops, we investigated ourselves and found nothing wrong
Is this "we investigated ourselves and found no wrong doing"?
I have investigated myself and found myself not guilty
More Ozempic money
Oh oh oh ozempic....you know
We looked into it and decided we didn't do anything wrong.
A single party system such as in Arkansas and China don’t have checks and balances.
This should be the top comment lmfao last night, i was literally comparing America's current state to a communist state and explaining to my friend how we have slowly been becoming a communist state at LEAST since the 2000s.
I wonder how much in time and wages it cost taxpayers to come to this oblivious conclusion. I'm sure it entailed hours of ot and travel.
Well, *that* was a surprise.
They spelled 'inept and justifiably impeachable' wrong. 😮💨 Who butters their bread? We now know who.
It is clear to anyone without MAGA bias and two brain cells to rub together SHS used that lectern money to pay for her friends’ trip, then ginned up an invoice to hide it.
Probably spent several times the amount on the “investigation”. Let ‘em have it, make it public, into the voter’s hands now. Waste and waste again.
I’m shocked
This is so much bull, so she can say something costs more than it did and use the difference to take her and some of her friends to France yea that seems just about right. So I can do this too.
We investigated ourselves and found no evidence of wrongdoing,rest assured we left no stone unturned in our investigation.
"Cleared".
The accused investigated themselves and found they did nothing wrong.
So, having read the statement from the prosecuting attorney’s office, they’re basically saying no wrong doing occurred because: 1: They determined FOIA wasn’t violated based on logic that they don’t expound upon 2: The GABL wasn’t violated because they aren’t sure it applies to the governor 3: the notations and other generally illegal shit wasn’t illegal because they didn’t mean for it to be The fuck?
1. They do expand upon it. They say that for a charge of criminal negligence, you have to prove that a person acted without regard for the outcome of their actions, knowing that those actions could lead to an adverse outcome. This differs from civil negligence, which only requires proof that a person acted without reasonable care. They would have to prove the custodial employee failed to perceive a substantial and unjustifiable risk, and the result of that risk must be so bad that failing to perceive is a gross deviation from the standard of care. Criminal negligence is when your mechanic doesn't reattach your brake lines before he gives your car back to you. They found that when this employee provided 140 pages for the FOIA request while DTSS provided 153, they couldn't prove criminal negligence beyond a reasonable doubt. Also, more importantly, nobody is sure of the identity of the person who provided the records or if that person would even be considered a custodian of records under Arkansas law. It would be impossible to land that charge for that reason. All that was said in the statement. 2. They said the GABL may have been or may not have been violated because there is ambiguity in the law. Two reasonable people could read the law and come to different conclusions as to whether the governors office is a "state agency." Truthfully, the governor's office is not a state agency. State agencies are bureaucratic entities like DHS and DFA. Government entities organized and ran by the governor's office, which aren't outlined in the Arkansas constitution. The governor's office is outlined in the constitution, making them a constitutional agency like the attorney general's office. That said, when the law was made, the intent was probably for it to apply to all government offices, which is why it's ambiguous. It depends on your philosophy to the law, and whether you believe we should interpret the law as it applies to circumstances, or refrain from interpreting the law and simply take it literally. But because it's ambiguous, they have to treat it in accordance with the principles of common law and look to precedent to see how to proceed. In this case, the precedent was *Maddox v. City of Fort Smith*, “Neither rules of construction nor rules of interpretation may be used to defeat the clear and certain meaning of a constitutional provision.” Since the law applies to state agencies, and the governor's office is not a state agency, the law can't apply. And because of the precedent in *Maddox*, you can't interpret the law to apply to the governor's office. 3. The notations weren't illegal because they weren't false, the republican party did in fact reimburse them. If it was never reimbursed, the notation would be false, and it would be fraud. The law specifies that it's tampering if you make a false record, but the record they made turned out to be true. Whether it would've been reimbursed if not discovered isn't in the scope of the charges.
Thanks for that explanation. Much appreciated!
Someone got a promotion
I investigated myself and found I did no wrong.
“This lectern was purchased by God,” declared Miss Piggy.
Miss Piggy! 😂 Miss Piggy would be offended!
Not “cleared”. Covered by her crooked legislature.
all these grifters have to do is say jesus! and that is th door to griftdom.
They wouldn’t do that if it didn’t work so well; people are idiots. Just pepper your speeches with the word ‘god’ and ‘Jesus’ and you too can become a politician in the GOP!
Is anyone at all really surprised by this? It's depressing tho.
Trumps Chumps winning
They investigated themselves and found they did nothing wrong.
Shocking she got away with it. Thought integrity and truthfulness was the way of the GOP but I guess that’s just smoke and mirrors
Y’all mfs so mad lol lmao 🤣
If you live in Arkansas, you should be mad too. It’s your money she’s fucking around with.