“Military aircraft for dad’s privilege?” U.S. Secretary of State uses 1.6 billion won in taxpayer funds to watch son’s football game, saying “What’s the problem? No apology”

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Controversy has arisen over allegations that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (55) used government aircraft for personal purposes to watch games involving his son, who is on a college American football team, incurring costs exceeding $1.2 million (1.6 billion won).

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 11th (local time), after analyzing flight records, that Secretary Rubio attended at least 10 games of the University of Florida, where his son Anthony Rubio is a member, since taking office.

The State Department acknowledged that Secretary Rubio traveled to Gainesville, Florida, by government aircraft at least 23 times, and that 15 of those trips were for personal purposes.

The aircraft primarily used by Secretary Rubio are the Gulfstream C-37 ($9,100 per hour) and the Boeing C-32A ($18,600 per hour). According to estimates calculated by the WP using Ministry of National Defense rates, the total cost reached approximately $1.2 million, combining 15 personal-purpose trips ($776,000) and 7 official-duty trips ($443,900).

Under regulations, when a public official uses military aircraft for personal purposes, they are only required to reimburse the government for an amount equivalent to economy-class airfare. The WP estimated that Secretary Rubio’s reimbursement would be only about $18,000 (approximately 24 million won), based on round-trip commercial airfares on the Washington-Gainesville route. The boarding costs of accompanying staff and security personnel are excluded from reimbursement.

In response, Secretary Rubio clearly stated that he had no intention of apologizing, saying, “I have tried to attend as many events important to my family and me as possible, and I will continue to do so.” The State Department also argued for the legitimacy of boarding military aircraft, stating it was a measure “to ensure continuity of operations and access to secure communications.”

Some point out that in 2023, while serving as a U.S. Senator, Secretary Rubio strongly criticized then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s use of military aircraft and demanded an audit, sparking criticism of hypocrisy (“do as I say, not as I do”). In response, the State Department countered that former Secretary Buttigieg was not subject to mandatory military aircraft use and therefore not a comparable case.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original