Presidential hopeful Marco Rubio used his official position as majority whip of the Florida House of Representatives to help get his ex-con brother-in-law a real estate license in 2002.

The Washington Post reports Rubio sent a letter to the Florida Division of Real Estate recommending that Orlando Cicilia be granted a license. The letter does not mention that Cicilia is Rubio’s brother-in-law or that he was convicted of cocaine trafficking.

“I have known Mr. Cicilia for over 25 years,” Rubio wrote. “I recommend him for licensure without reservation.”

Rubio’s presidential campaign adviser Todd Harris has downplayed the letter as nothing out of the ordinary.

“Marco has recommended scores of Floridians for various professional positions and after Orlando paid his debt to society, Marco was happy to recommend him as well. He believed Orlando should be judged on his own merits and felt it would be highly inappropriate, and could be perceived as exerting undue pressure, if his letter stated that Orlando was a relative,” Harris said.

Danielle Brian, executive director of the government watchdog group Project on Government Oversight, found Rubio’s intervention on behalf of his brother-in-law disconcerting.

“Someone who serves their time should be a productive member of society, and it’s important for families to help each other, but it’s wrong to use your public office for personal or private gain,” Brian said.

Cicilia has been an issue in Rubio's political career before. According to the New Yorker, Rubio sparred with the Spanish speaking network Univision when they reached out to Rubio’s older sister Barbara Cicilia regarding her husband Orlando’s past. 

Isaac Lee, the chief executive officer at Univision, explained that he wanted to understand the effect that Cicilia's conviction had on Rubio's family.