Leavitt defends Rubio amid report of $1.2M in military jet trips to watch son's football games

WASHINGTON, DC: Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Secretary of State Marco Rubio after a report said he spent $1.2 million in taxpayer money on trips to Florida to watch his son play college football.

Rubio, whose son Anthony plays for the University of Florida, frequently used military aircraft to attend football games in Gainesville, Florida, according to a report by The Washington Post. Rubio made at least five trips to see the Florida Gators during the fall season and 23 trips since taking office, including 15 listed as personal trips.

In a statement to The Post, the secretary of state said, “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.”

Karoline Leavitt backs Marco Rubio, calling him a 'great dad'

Leavitt, who left the White House to spend more time with her young children and later joined Fox News as an on-air contributor, responded to the report on X (formerly Twitter).

"Washington Post confirms Secretary Rubio is a great dad,” she wrote.

Dylan Johnson, an assistant secretary of state, also defended Rubio, labeling the report "moronic." Johnson said that the secretary of state and other top officials, including the president and vise president, were required to use military aircraft.

Johnson also said officials who must use government aircraft reimburse the government for any personal travel. He also called it "unfair" to compare Rubio to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was not required to take military aircraft.

“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," Johnson wrote.

“Secretary Rubio is entirely unapologetic and will continue to attend as many of his family’s events as his jobs allow – that includes his son’s football games for his final year of college football," he asserted.

“Mandated travelers, including Secretary Rubio reimburse the government for all personal travel. It’s moronic to compare the Secretary of State to Pete Buttigieg, who was Transportation Secretary – and not a required user of military aircraft,” the assistant secretary of state added.

Marco Rubio faces scrutiny over military aircraft use

The report has also brought renewed scrutiny to Rubio's past comments about government travel. Rubio, then a senator from Florida, criticized Buttigieg for taking personal trips on military jets while serving in Joe Biden's administration.

Others have also been criticized for similar travel, including former Trump Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and FBI Director Kash Patel, who faced backlash for reportedly using government aircraft to watch his country singer fiancee Alexis Wilkins perform.

Pointing to the potential concerns, Cynthia Brown of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington watchdog, said, “If this travel becomes something that is undermining the integrity of your service, are you really taking care of taxpayer dollars the way that you’re obligated to as a public official?”

She described Rubio's situation as more of an optics issue than a violation of rules, while saying it was important to scrutinize the travel.