Vice President JD Vance’s 41st birthday kayak trip has sparked a Democratic witch hunt, with Sen. Adam Schiff crying foul over a federal water maneuver.
NBC News reported that on August 2, 2025, Vance paddled down Ohio’s Little Miami River with family, unaware that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had tweaked Caesar Creek Lake’s outflow to ensure smooth sailing for Secret Service boats. Schiff’s probe smells like political theater, but let’s unpack the facts.
Vance’s office and the Secret Service insist he had no clue about the water level adjustment. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers raised the lake’s outflow to accommodate motorized watercraft for Secret Service, local law enforcement, and emergency responders. This wasn’t about Vance’s kayak gliding effortlessly; it was about security, plain and simple.
Sen. Schiff, never one to miss a chance to grandstand, fired off a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Assistant Secretary Adam Telle, and Secret Service Director Sean Curran.
He’s demanding answers by September 5, 2025, about who authorized the water tweak and whether Vance’s team was in the loop. Schiff’s sanctimonious tone suggests he’s already convicted Vance of abuse of power.
Schiff’s Probe Raises Eyebrows
“I write to you to express serious concerns regarding the potential abuse of power,” Schiff declared, painting the water adjustment as a Trump administration scheme to pamper Vance.
His outrage feels selective, given the Secret Service’s clear statement that the move was “operationally necessary” for security. Schiff’s trying to spin a routine precaution into a scandal.
The Secret Service doubled down, stating Vance’s office had no hand in the decision. “The Secret Service often employs protective measures without the knowledge of the Vice President or his staff,” said spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk. Schiff’s insistence on probing Vance’s awareness seems like a fishing expedition for headlines.
News outlets, including the Associated Press, caught wind of the water level tweak in August 2025. The story’s traction suggests Schiff’s probe is less about public resources and more about keeping his name in the spotlight. After all, this is the guy who spearheaded both of Trump’s impeachments—hardly a neutral referee.
Schiff’s letter also takes a swipe at a past Trump administration decision to release water from California reservoirs during the Los Angeles fires.
He claims those releases didn’t aid firefighting efforts, implying a pattern of resource misuse. The comparison feels like a stretch, lumping unrelated incidents to fuel his narrative.
Interestingly, Schiff himself is under scrutiny, with the Justice Department appointing a special attorney to investigate allegations of mortgage fraud.
Schiff denies the claims, calling them politically motivated. Pot, meet kettle—his probe into Vance reeks of the same partisan playbook he accuses others of using.
The water level adjustment was a practical move, not a birthday gift for Vance. The Secret Service needed stable conditions for their boats, which were there to protect the vice president, not to make his kayak trip Instagram-worthy. Schiff’s attempt to frame this as “exploiting public resources” ignores the realities of executive security.
Security vs. Political Posturing
“It was operationally necessary to adjust water levels,” the Secret Service stated, emphasizing the role of local law enforcement and emergency responders. Schiff’s probe conveniently sidesteps this, focusing instead on Vance as if he ordered the lake’s outflow increased. The disconnect between facts and Schiff’s rhetoric is glaring.
Vance’s spokesperson, Taylor Van Kirk, reiterated that the vice president was out of the loop. “The Secret Service often employs protective measures without the knowledge of the Vice President or his staff,” Van Kirk said. Schiff’s demand to know why Vance wasn’t informed feels like a gotcha question with no right answer.
Schiff’s letter also hopes “public scrutiny” will refocus the Army Corps on its mission. It’s a noble sentiment, but it rings hollow when his probe seems more about scoring political points than ensuring engineering integrity. The Army Corps was just doing its job—Schiff’s the one turning it into a circus.
“The Trump administration is providing further evidence of its willingness to exploit public resources,” Schiff claimed, doubling down on his abuse-of-power narrative. Yet the evidence points to a standard security protocol, not a lavish favor for Vance. Schiff’s hyperbole undermines his credibility more than it dents Vance’s.
The Little Miami River outing was a low-key family event, not a taxpayer-funded extravaganza. Vance, a staunch advocate for working-class values, hardly seems the type to demand a lake be re-engineered for his birthday. Schiff’s probe feels like a desperate attempt to paint conservatives as out-of-touch elites.
While Schiff plays prosecutor, conservatives see this as another example of Democrats weaponizing oversight to distract from real issues. The American public deserves better than these partisan stunts—focus on the economy, not kayak trips. Schiff’s probe may make waves, but it’s unlikely to sink Vance.
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Author: Benjamin Clark
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