Marco Rubio allegedly spent $1.2m on military flights to see his son play football. Then watchdogs realize the son has only played 4 games in 4 years

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly spent over $1.2 million of taxpayer money on military flights to attend University of Florida football games. A report, per The Guardian, published on Wednesday claims this high cost stems from frequent travel between Washington DC and Gainesville. Critics note that Rubio is there to see his son, Anthony, who serves as a walk-on running back for the team.

An investigation by The Washington Post indicates that Rubio attended at least 10 games over the last two seasons, including five this fall. Out of 23 total trips to Gainesville on military aircraft, researchers found that 15 were personal. The report calculated the $1.2 million figure by using published Defense Department rates for the cost per hour of military aircraft.

On November 7, Rubio arrived in Gainesville on an Air Force C-37, which is a plane used for VIP transport. He watched from the sidelines as the Gators lost 23-7 to Oklahoma, though his son did not play in that game. Statistics show that Anthony Rubio has played in only four competitive games during his four years at the university, with two of those appearing this season. According to ESPN, he has a career total of 14 carries for 75 yards and one touchdown.

Rubio is prohibited from flying commercially due to security protocols that also cover other high-ranking officials

The report, however, alleges that his use of government transport appears to outpace that of his predecessors. While officials are required to reimburse the government for the equivalent of an economy-fare ticket, the actual cost of the flights is much higher. Rubio and the State Department declined to say how much he has paid back to the public purse.

Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel at the nonpartisan watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, stated that the travel appears to be more of an optics issue than a violation. She noted that it still merits further scrutiny. Brown suggested that if this travel undermines the integrity of public service, it raises questions about how officials care for taxpayer dollars. She believes it is important to shine a light on this practice.

The report mentioned that Antony Blinken, who served as secretary of state under Joe Biden, took personal trips on government aircraft only a couple of times a year. Rubio previously called for an investigation into Pete Buttigieg regarding his use of government jets. The inspector general eventually cleared Buttigieg of wrongdoing after finding he took eight trips at a total cost of $59,000.

Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state, posted on X on Wednesday to defend the travel. He claimed that comparing Rubio to Buttigieg was moronic. Johnson wrote, “The Secretary of State (like POTUS, VP, SecWar, and others) is REQUIRED to use military aircraft to maintain access to secure communications at all times and comply with continuity of government protocols.” He added that Buttigieg was not a required user of military aircraft.

Rubio defended his trips in a statement, saying, “I have and will continue to try and make it to as many events that are important to me personally and to my family as possible.” Johnson confirmed that Rubio will continue to use government transport and will reimburse the government for all personal travel. He stated that Rubio is entirely unapologetic and will continue to attend his family’s events as his jobs allow.