JD Vance had a river

A request by Vice President JD Vance led to a temporary increase in water levels from the Ohio River to accommodate their family vacations.

On Wednesday, The Guardian reported that a statement from The US Army Corps. UU.

Newsweek also confirmed the moment: Vance’s 41 birthday. The departure also reported that the Secret Service declared that “it carried out operational planning to ensure that motorized vessels and emergency personnel could operate safely with appropriate water levels during a recent visit.”

But according to an exclusive anonymous source cited by The Guardian, the temporary increase in water levels was not just about protecting VP. The departure reported that the adjustment also served to create “ideal kayak conditions” for Vance and his family.

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That same source said that requests for “special releases” are rarely granted when they are carried out in the name of private citizens.

In a statement to The Guardian, the Secret Service refused to confirm the details of his operational planning. The departure indicated that the application had been sent to the USACE headquarters, where spokesman Gene Pawlik acknowledged “a request to temporarily increase the outputs of Lake Creek Lake to support the safe navigation of the United States Secret Service personnel.”

Pawlik added that the application “It complied with the operational criteria described in the Water Control Manual for Creek Lake and did not require a deviation from normal procedures.”

“It was determined that the operations would not negatively affect the water levels down or upstream. The subsequent stakeholders were notified before the slight increase in the output, which occurred on August 1, 2025,” he added.

While there is no public evidence until the action violated the laws, some ethical experts are raising concerns.

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Richard Painter, an ethical lawyer who served in the George W. Bush administration, launched the move in an X post, previously Twitter.

“As I said here, it is scandalous that the Army Corps of Engineers spend money for taxpayers to increase water flow in a river, so @VP It can go in canoeing when the budget cuts at the service of national parks have severely affected family vacations for everyone else, ”Painter wrote.

The former White House lawyer, Norm Eisen, also intervened.

“I would never have allowed this type of thing because, whether technically, it violates the rules or not, creates the appearance that the United States vice president is receiving special treatment that is not available for the average person who wants to use that body of water for recreational purposes,” said Eisen.

This is not the first time that Vance’s holiday plans have drawn scrutiny. In July, the governor of California Gavin Newsom (D) shot at VP during a family vacation in Disneyland.

“I hope you enjoy your family time, @jdvance. The families you are destroying certainly will not,” said Twitter, in a video of Vance on vacation, in reference to the administration’s immigration policies.

Vance’s office did not immediately respond to News themezone’s request for comments.