SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders responds on October 3 to recent controversy over the purchase of a podium.

This purchase came to light by Freedom of Information Act requests from blogger and attorney Matt Campbell.

According to Campbell’s posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sanders bought a custom podium back in June, just before a trip to Europe.

An invoice from Beckett Events LLC says the total cost was just over $19,000. The Republican party of Arkansas has reimbursed the governor’s office for the podium, and it says an accounting error caused the delay in getting those funds back.

Sanders says people shouldn’t be worried about the purchase of the podium.

“This was paid for by private funds. People want to manufacture a controversy where there isn’t one, but this is something the state has been reimbursed for. And, I think there are some people who are always going to be angry and always looking to complain about, and this is what they are picking right now,” Sanders said.

There are also accusations that some documents that were included in the FOIA were knowingly altered or withheld by the governor’s office.

Republican Arkansas Sen. Jimmy Hickey Jr. of Texarkana has requested a legislative audit related to this purchase.

The governor reiterated today that she welcomes the audit, and wants it done as quickly as possible.