A request from Vice President JD Vance led to a brief rise of the Ohio River water ranges to accommodate his household trip.
On Wednesday, The Guardian reported {that a} assertion from the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers (USACE) said that the Secret Service had contacted the company to meet the request, citing the necessity for “support” for a “safe navigation” to accommodate Vance’s bodyguards on Caesar Creek Lake.
Newsweek additionally confirmed the timing: Vance’s forty first birthday. The outlet additional reported that the Secret Service said it “conducted operational planning to ensure that motorized watercraft and emergency personnel could operate safely with appropriate water levels during a recent visit.”
However in line with an unique nameless supply cited by The Guardian, the short-term rise in water ranges wasn’t nearly defending the VP. The outlet reported the adjustment additionally served to create “ideal kayaking conditions” for Vance and his household.
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That very same supply mentioned that requests for “special releases” are hardly ever granted when made on behalf of personal residents.
In a press release to The Guardian, the Secret Service declined to substantiate the specifics of its operational planning. The outlet famous that the request had been forwarded to USACE headquarters, the place spokesperson Gene Pawlik acknowledged “a request to temporarily increase outflows from Caesar Creek Lake to support safe navigation of US Secret Service personnel.”
Pawlik added that the request “met the operational criteria outlined in the Water Control Manual for Caesar Creek Lake and did not require a deviation from normal procedures.”
“It was determined that the operations would not adversely affect downstream or upstream water levels. Downstream stakeholders were notified in advance of the slight outflow increase, which occurred August 1, 2025,” he added.
Whereas there’s no public proof thus far that the motion broke any legal guidelines, some ethics specialists are elevating issues.
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Richard Painter, an ethics lawyer who served within the George W. Bush administration, blasted the transfer in a publish on X, previously Twitter.
“As I said here, it’s outrageous for the Army corps of engineers to spend taxpayer money to increase water flow in a river so @VP can go canoeing when budget cuts to the National Park Service have severely impacted family vacations for everyone else,” Painter wrote.
Former White Home particular counsel Norm Eisen additionally weighed in.
“I never would have permitted this kind of a thing because whether it technically violates the rules or not, it creates the appearance that the vice-president of the United States is getting special treatment that’s not available to the average person who wants to utilize that body of water for recreational purposes,” Eisen mentioned.
This isn’t the primary time Vance’s trip plans have drawn scrutiny. In July, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) took a shot on the VP throughout a household trip at Disneyland.
“Hope you enjoy your family time, @JDVance. The families you’re tearing apart certainly won’t,” he mentioned on X, previously Twitter, on a video of Vance on trip, in reference to the administration’s immigration insurance policies.
Vance’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to HuffPost’s request for remark.
