Marco Rubio spent over $1.2m in taxpayer-funded flights to attend son's college games

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has come under scrutiny after reportedly using military aircraft for frequent trips to Florida to watch his son play college football, with an investigation estimating that the flights alone cost taxpayers more than $1.2 million.

The findings have prompted questions about how often senior government officials should use publicly funded transport for personal commitments, even when their security arrangements require them to fly on military aircraft.Washington Post investigation details Rubio’s trips to FloridaAn investigation by The Washington Post found that Rubio attended at least 10 University of Florida football games over the past two seasons, including five during the current autumn campaign.

His son, Anthony Rubio, is a walk-on running back for the university’s team, the Florida Gators.Of the 23 trips Rubio made to Gainesville aboard military aircraft, 15 were classified as personal journeys, according to the newspaper.