Key facts
- The Washington Post calculated the flights alone cost more than $1.2 million using published Defense Department hourly aircraft rates.
- The Post reported 15 of Rubio's 23 trips to Gainesville on military aircraft were personal in nature.
- Rubio attended at least 10 games in the last two seasons, including five this fall, per the Post.
- Anthony Rubio, a senior running back, has played in four competitive games in four years, per ESPN figures cited by the Post.
- Cynthia Brown of the watchdog CREW told the Post the travel appeared more of an optics issue than a violation but merited further scrutiny.
- Rubio and the State Department declined to say how much he has reimbursed the government, the Post said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent more than $1.2 million of taxpayer money on military flights for personal trips to watch the University of Florida football team, according to a Washington Post investigation published November 11. The Post said Rubio, a supporter of the team known as the Gators, attended at least 10 games in the last two seasons, including five this fall, and that 15 of 23 trips he made to Gainesville on military aircraft were personal in nature.
The Post calculated the flight cost using published Defense Department rates listing the hourly cost of different military aircraft. It said Rubio's use of government transport appears to significantly outpace that of his predecessors. Rubio is barred from flying commercially under security protocols that also cover the secretary of defense and the FBI and CIA directors.
Most recently, on November 7, Rubio arrived in Gainesville aboard an Air Force C-37, a plane often used for VIP transport of senior officials, and was seen on the sidelines as the Gators lost 23-7 to Oklahoma. Anthony Rubio, his son and a senior running back, played no part in the game. The Post, citing ESPN, said Anthony Rubio has played in four competitive games in four years, two of them this season, with a career total of 14 carries for 75 yards and one touchdown.
Rubio defended the trips in a statement to the Post: "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." Officials who use military transport must reimburse the government the equivalent of an economy-fare ticket, an amount the Post said would in every case be far exceeded by the real cost of the journey. Rubio and the State Department declined to say how much he has reimbursed, the Post said.
Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel at the nonpartisan watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told the Post the travel appeared "more of an optics issue than a violation" but merited further scrutiny. Brown said Rubio might not be doing anything "technically improper" but is the sole arbiter of how often and how far he travels.
The Post, citing two former government officials, reported that Antony Blinken, who was Joe Biden's secretary of state, took personal trips on government aircraft only a couple of times a year. Rubio, then a Republican senator for Florida, previously sought an investigation into then transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg's use of government jets for personal trips; the inspector general cleared Buttigieg, who took eight trips at a total cost of $59,000, of wrongdoing.
Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state, told the Post that Rubio's use of military aircraft was to "ensure continuity of operations, continuity of government and access to secure communications at all times" and that he will continue to do so. The Guardian said it had contacted CREW and the State Department for comment.