Beebe: Audit Report Brings Into Question Shoffner’s Fiduciary Responsibility

I spoke with Gov. Mike Beebe today about the recent report from legislative audit on the problems in the State Treasurer’s office.  He told me that things certainly look bad, but he stopped short of calling for her resignation.

“It’s (Shoffner’s) responsibility to invest money and take care of tax dollars and this does not look good, at least from the preliminary accounts I have seen,” said Beebe. “I don’t know whether it was just a bad time, a mistake; I don’t know all the details. I know what you know – what I have read, what has been reported in the audit, and what has been reported in committee.”

“There is a fiduciary responsibility to take care of the money and apparently they lost money they should not have,” said Beebe.

He declined to comment on whether she should resign saying, “I am not going to get into that. That is somebody else’s deal.” But he did say that his office has received a number of calls asking him to fire her, which he explained he can’t do.

“She is an independent constitutional officer elected by the people just like the attorney general, just like the secretary of state,” explained Beebe saying that “we don’t hire and fire her.”

As for if he still has confidence in her to do her job, he also declined to comment on that as well.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeG7Z5QhhQw]