Rubio team bashes Times story on his finances

Marco Rubio and The New York Times are at it again.

A week after Rubio and aides bashed a Times story on traffic tickets racked up by the Florida senator and his wife, the Republican presidential candidate's team is attacking a report on how Rubio handles his personal finances.

“First, The New York Times attacked Marco over traffic tickets, and now they think he doesn’t have enough money," said Rubio spokesman Alex Conant.  "Of course if he was worth millions, The Times would then attack him for being too rich, like they did to Mitt Romney."

The Times story -- headlined "Struggles With Finances Track Marco Rubio’s Career" -- says Rubio's problems have been exacerbated by questionable purchases, including $80,000 for a 24-foot sailboat.

Reports The Times:

"A review of the Rubio family’s finances -- including many new documents -- reveals a series of decisions over the past 15 years that experts called imprudent: significant debts; a penchant to spend heavily on luxury items like the boat and the lease of a $50,000 2015 Audi Q7; a strikingly low savings rate, even when Mr. Rubio was earning large sums; and inattentive accounting that led to years of unpaid local government fees."

Conant said Rubio faces the same kinds of financial challenges that everyday Americans do, and he is not motivated by the idea of getting rich.

"His goal at this stage in his life is to provide his four children with a good home, a quality education, and a safe and happy upbringing," Conant said in a statement. "As he wrote in his book, ‘the mark I make in this world will not be decided by how much money I make or how many titles I attain. Rather, the greatest mark I can leave is the one I will make as a father and a husband.'"

It's unclear whether the stories will hurt Rubio as he pursues the 2016 Republican presidential nomination -- The New York Times isn't the most popular publication among conservatives who will play a major role in the contest.

Fighting with The Times could be a boon for Rubio in GOP primaries and caucuses.