You may recall that rather than explain why she spent nearly $20,000 for a lectern purchased from a pal’s company, Gov. Sanders (R-AR) changed her state’s FOIA rules. Nothing suspicious at all about that, right?
Now, just a few months later, there are questions about the Sanders family’s luxury Super Bowl that likely cost at least $202,500, not including travel and security costs.
TPM’s Hunter Walker did a deep dive into the subject. He noted that Sanders posted a series of Instagram photos of herself enjoying VIP status at the game. “But when her selfies provoked real questions about the blatantly obvious ethical implications that come along with a civil servant enjoying virtually the same amenities as a billionaire pop star, Sanders and her team shut down,” he wrote.
Nevertheless, Walker was able to sleuth out that Sanders and her family likely obtained their passes through the Chiefs, one of the team’s partners, or via a broker,” he wrote.
Although Sanders earns a decent income, “none of it screams six figure Super Bowl suites,” Walker wrote. Meaning they were probably gifted to her family. If so, she’s obligated to disclose the gift and reimburse the giver. “Sanders and other public officials in her state are subject to rules laid out by the Arkansas Ethics Commission that prohibit them from receiving gifts in excess of $100. Anything above this amount would need to be reimbursed — that includes the tickets for other members of Sanders’ immediate family,” Walker noted.
And even if Sanders paid her own way, there are still ethical questions. If she paid for tickets that were not available to the general public, she still is bound to disclose them as a gift. Then there’s the question of on whose dime she traveled from Arkansas to Las Vegas, among other expenses.
This is not Sanders’ first luxury Chiefs game, either. Walker found that she posted photos of herself and her family at a November, 2023 game both in a luxury suite and with Travis Kelce. Walker reported that Sanders was probably required to disclose that trip on her recent disclosure form. But she did not.
We’ll see if she reports the Super Bowl tickets/entertainment, etc. on her next disclosure report. But I’m not holding my breath. Walker said Sanders’ office did not respond to TPM questions about the cost of the tickets, whether or not they were a gift or whether any state resources were used in the travel.
Why so secretive if you’ve got nothing to hide, Gov?
