The Washington Post estimates Rubio’s flights to his son’s games at over $1.2 million — The Guardian

In the United States, the cost of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s flights to Gainesville for University of Florida team games, where his son Anthony plays, may have exceeded $1.2 million. The Guardian reports this calculation by The Washington Post.

According to The Washington Post, Rubio attended at least 10 Florida Gators games over the past two seasons, five of them this fall. Of 23 trips to Gainesville on military aircraft, 15 were personal in nature. Anthony Rubio is a running back for the team and has walk-on status.

Estimated cost of flights

The newspaper calculated only the cost of the flights, using published US Department of Defense hourly rates for the use of different types of military aircraft. According to its information, Rubio cannot fly on commercial flights due to security requirements that also apply to the secretary of defense and the directors of the FBI and CIA. At the same time, his use of government transport, according to the publication’s assessment, significantly exceeds that of his predecessors.

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On November 7, Rubio arrived in Gainesville on a US Air Force C-37 aircraft and attended the game in which the Florida Gators lost to Oklahoma 7:23. His son did not play in that game. Over four years at the university, Anthony Rubio has played in four official games, two of them this season, recording 14 rushing attempts for 75 yards and one touchdown.

Reimbursement and reaction

Officials who use military transport must reimburse the government an amount equivalent to the cost of an economy-class ticket. As The Washington Post notes, such reimbursement will in each case be significantly lower than the actual cost of the flight. Rubio and the US State Department did not tell the newspaper how much he had reimbursed for these trips.

Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel at the non-governmental organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the trips are more likely to create a reputational problem than indicate a violation, but require additional scrutiny. The State Department explained the use of military aircraft by the need to ensure continuity of operations, continuity of government and access to secure communications.