Karoline Leavitt roasted for her defense of Rubio after reports he spent $1.2 million on private trips

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is being ripped for her defense of Secretary of State Marco Rubio after reports he spent $1.2 million of taxpayer’s money to fly to Florida to see his son’s football games.A Wednesday report by The Washington Post claimed Rubio regularly uses a military jet to fly to Florida Gators college games, where his son Anthony is part of the team.The Post added the secretary has made at least five trips to see the University of Florida’s team this fall and 23 in total since taking office, 15 of which were recorded as personal, numbers that “significantly outpace that of his predecessors” and come at a high cost to the electorate.The secretary defended his travel in a statement to The Post: “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.”Taking to X to belittle the story, Leavitt – who left the White House to spend more time with her young children but has since joined Fox News as an on-air contributor – wrote dismissively: “Washington Post confirms Secretary Rubio is a great dad.” Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has been ridiculed for her defense of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s expensive travel (Getty)Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson joined in the administration’s criticism of the report, calling it “moronic” and stressing in a post on X: “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.“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.“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.”Leavitt’s post attracted significant hostility nonetheless, with many social media users implying she was actively in favor of squandering tax dollars. “From their ivory tower they just shove it in the peasants’ faces,” one person wrote.Another user pointed out that Rubio’s son is college age: “His child is an adult. Most parents with a college athlete can’t afford to go to every game. But when Secretary Rubio does it on the tax payer dime, we’re supposed to applaud? I couldn’t afford to go to all my daughter’s competitions… so out of touch.”Another reminded Leavitt she no longer worked in the West Wing and therefore no longer needed to defend its personnel: “Gurl… you don’t have to spout bulls*** for the administration anymore. You’re free.” Much of the reaction was directed at Rubio, however, with one woman calling him a “deadbeat” and another fuming: “He can go to his son’s game on his own dime. I’m sick of paying for Trump and his Cabinet officials’ entertainment. Greedy Pigs!” Rubio has faced criticism for using official planes for personal trips but refused to apologize (AP)The Independent has reached out to the State Department for further comment.Ironically, it was Rubio himself who, in his past life as a Florida senator, challenged former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg about his own use of military jets during Joe Biden’s presidency.Similar concerns were also raised about Rex Tillerson, Trump’s first secretary of state and, more recently, FBI Director Kash Patel’s use of government jets to fly around the country to watch his country singer fiancee Alexis Wilkins’ live performances. 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?”Brown said the situation was “more of an optics issue than a violation” of the rules in Rubio’s case, adding that while it might not be “technically improper, it is something that I think is really important to shine the light on.”Liz Hempowicz, deputy executive director of another watchdog group, American Oversight, said: “When a senior official is taking frequent personal trips at significant taxpayer expense, it’s reasonable to ask whether or not those senior officials are exercising that judgment appropriately.”