You’re absolutely right. I’m not saying the legislature should respond that way, but the way things work is that the legislature writes the laws that tell the auditor what authority the position has and doesn’t have. Usually the executive branch can have oversight from the legislative branch, not the other way around.

What I haven’t yet found, which could change my opinion entirely, is the law providing for the powers of the state auditor. If the legislature gave the auditor power to audit them then case closed for the auditor. If not, then the speaker is right.