Report puts Rubio’s Gainesville flights above $1.2m amid Florida football visits

US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s trips to watch University of Florida football have drawn scrutiny after a Washington Post investigation estimated that military flights to Gainesville cost taxpayers more than $1.2m. The Guardian reported the findings on Wednesday, alongside Rubio’s defence of attending family events and the State Department’s explanation of his travel requirements.

Watch the highlights:

According to the investigation as described by the Guardian, Rubio attended at least 10 Gators games over the past two seasons, including five this fall. His son Anthony is a walk-on running back at Florida. The Post identified 23 trips to Gainesville on military aircraft and classified 15 as personal. Its flight-cost estimate used published Defense Department hourly rates for the aircraft involved.

The most recent visit highlighted in the report was on November 7, when Rubio arrived in Gainesville aboard an Air Force C-37 and appeared on the sidelines during Florida’s 23-7 loss to Oklahoma. Anthony Rubio did not play in that game. The Guardian reported that he had appeared in four competitive games during his four years at the university, including two this season.

Rubio told the Post that he intended to keep attending events important to him and his family whenever possible. The report noted that security rules prevent him from flying commercially. Officials using military transport for personal journeys must reimburse the government at the equivalent economy-ticket rate, rather than the full operating cost. According to the Post, Rubio and the State Department declined to specify how much he had repaid.

Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, questioned whether the frequency of the trips represented responsible stewardship of public money. She nevertheless characterised the issue primarily as one of appearances rather than an established violation, according to the Guardian. Her comments did not amount to a finding that Rubio had broken travel rules.

Assistant secretary of state Dylan Johnson defended the arrangements on Wednesday, saying military aircraft were required to preserve secure communications and meet continuity-of-government protocols. He said Rubio would reimburse all personal travel and would continue attending family events as his work permitted, including his son’s final college football season.