Marco Rubio defended flying military jet to watch son play football

Published 9h ago · Latest report 2h ago · Scandal

Affects United States · Covered in 2 countries

AI summary47s readNegative

Marco Rubio defended using pricey military jets for personal trips to watch his son play college football.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio faces criticism from ethics watchdogs for using government aircraft to attend University of Florida football games. The top diplomat spent over $1,200,000 in taxpayer funds traveling between Washington DC and Gainesville to watch his son play. Rubio defended the flights, noting that his official position requires him to travel by government plane.

The costOver $1,200,000 of public funds went toward the frequent flights between Washington DC and Gainesville.
The defenseThe secretary of state maintained that his official security requirements mandate travel via government aircraft.
The connectionHis son Anthony plays as a walk-on running back for the University of Florida Gators.

Why it matters

Cabinet members and senior government officials are typically restricted in their use of military aircraft for personal or family events due to strict federal ethics guidelines and high operating costs. Diplomatic travel normally requires strict justification to ensure taxpayer funds are used exclusively for official state business.

By the numbers1

$1.2Mtaxpayer money traveling

How outlets cover it