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Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she never meant job applicants to write what they admire most about her

The question was reportedly intended for summer interns, not state board applicants

Graig Graziosi
Sunday 16 April 2023 08:54 BST
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Related video: Sarah Huckabee Sanders dodges question on endorsing Trump in 2024

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Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is now saying that a recent application for individuals looking to serve on state boards and committees that included a question asking them to note an accomplishment of hers that they admire was a "design error."

News outlets in Arkansas, including the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, reported about the cloying question earlier this week.

The form asked applicants to include an answer to the following question: "What is an accomplishment of the Governor's that you admire the most?"

The day after the news about the question broke, the application form went dark. When it came back online, the questions had changed.

Alexa Henning, Ms Sanders' spokesperson, said the question was not intended for the broader application, but instead was meant for summer interns looking to work for the governor, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

"Our web vendor was supposed to be editing the internship application but instead mistakenly made additions to the boards and commissions form," Ms Henning said in a statement. "That was never intended to be a part of the application. As soon as we realized it, we corrected it with the vendor. However, it should be news to no one that someone wanting to intern in any administration should support the work that principal and their team is pursuing."

Members of the state's 257 boards oversee state agencies and licensing in Arkansas.

Those include the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, the Livestock and Poultry Commission, state college boards of trustees, and the state's Medical Board.

The question was removed from the form on Monday.

Ms Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Governor-turned conservative media personality Mike Huckabee Sanders, was formerly the White House Press Secretary for former President Donald Trump.

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