Exclusive: Incident raises questions of exploitation of public services, but Secret Service says it was requested for ‘safe navigation’

JD Vance’s team had the army corps of engineers in Louisville, Ohio, take the unusual step of changing the outflow of a lake to accommodate a recent boating excursion on a family holiday, the Guardian has learned.

The request from the US Secret Service was made to “support safe navigation” of the US vice-president’s security detail for an August outing on the Little Miami River, according to a statement by the US army corps of engineers (USACE).