The Secret Service had the Army Corps of Engineers raise the water level of a lake in Ohio last week to make way for a boating trip for US Vice-President JD Vance and his family.
Vance was seen kayaking on the river on 2 August, his 41st birthday
The unusual incident, first reported by The Guardian, sparked public outcry. It was widely seen as special treatment granted to the vice-president, particularly controversial given the Trump administration's pledge to cut spending.
According to a statement issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the water level of the Little Miami River was raised at the request of the US Secret Service to "support safe navigation". It was accomplished by temporarily increasing outflows from the Caesar Creek Lake into Little Miami.
The Secret Service said it made the request to ensure motorised watercraft and emergency personnel "could operate safely" while protecting the vice-president.
One source familiar with the matter, on condition of anonymity, confided to The Guardian that safety concerns were not the only reasons to increase the outflow. Creating "ideal kayaking conditions" also heavily swayed the decision.
Although it's not unheard of for the USACE to manipulate outflows to accommodate public use, according to the Guardian's anonymous source, "special releases" are generally not done at the behest of individuals.
Vance is not the only vice-president to fall in hot water over such an incident.
Vice President Al Gore endured a similarly embarrassing incident in 1999, facing criticism after a local utility poured millions of gallons of water into the Connecticut River to keep him from running aground during a canoe trip.
Ethics lawyer Richard Painter, who served in the George W Bush administration, said it seemed hypocritical and "pretty outrageous" for Vance to be receiving these particular accommodations for a family holiday when the administration's cuts have led to drastic cuts to the National Park Service (NPS) budget.
The National Parks Conservation Association has estimated that the NPS has lost about a quarter of its staff since January, which in turn has led to sections of some parks to be closed and hours to be changed due to staffing issues.
"Those cuts are directly impacting middle-class families' vacations," Painter said. "Whether they are doing it for the Secret Service or for him I think is splitting hairs. What he ought to be doing is choosing another place."
Norm Eisen, a former White House special counsel for ethics and government reform, said: "When I was President Obama's ethics czar in the White House, I got a lot of unusual requests, but I never got one to increase the outflow of a waterway as part of a government official going kayaking."
Vance denies knowledge
A spokesperson for JD Vance said the vice-president was unaware of such a request being made by the Secret Service.
"The Secret Service often employs protective measures without the knowledge of the vice-president or his staff, as was the case last weekend," the spokesperson said.
"These decisions were made solely by agents during our standard advance planning process and did not involve the Office of the Vice President," the Secret Service said in a statement.
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