Old footage has resurfaced of the hilarious moment then-rookie journalist Michelle Kosinski was caught short during a canoe segment for NBC’s Today Show, as it emerges the UK’s former ambassador to the US was investigated over suspicions he passed White House secrets to her during an affair.
This week it was revealed that Britain’s former ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch, 66, was investigated over an alleged affair with Kosinski, 46, who at the time was a reporter for CNN.
Suspicions were raised among US officials after a series of articles by Kosinski detailed highly-sensitive insider information about the Trump administration.
A Department of Justice probe later cleared Darroch of wrongdoing and he has denied leaking any stories to the journalist.
But this isn’t the first time Kosinski has got into hot water over her reporting.
Old footage has resurfaced of the hilarious moment then-rookie journalist Michelle Kosinski was caught short during NBC’s Today Show, as it emerges the UK’s former ambassador to the US was investigated over suspicions he passed White House secrets to her during an affair
This week it was revealed that Britain’s former ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch, 66, was investigated over an alleged affair with Kosinski, 46, (pictured) who at the time was a reporter for CNN
Archive footage from the NBC Today Show reveals the cringeworthy moment the enthusiastic reporter appeared to try – and fail – to deceive viewers about the extent of flooding hitting parts of the East Coast.
The incident, that would later be dubbed ‘Canoe-gate’, took place on October 14 2005 when the new and up-and-coming NBC News correspondent was reporting live about flooding in Wayne, New Jersey.
It shows Kosinski canoeing through floodwater telling viewers how ‘deep’ it is before she is rumbled when two men stroll casually through the ankle-deep water.
The segment begins with anchors Matt Lauer and Katie Couric going live to Kosinski who is sat in a canoe paddling through the floodwater in a submerged suburban thoroughfare.
‘Good morning, so obviously we are getting a nice break from the rain but not the flooding,’ Kosinski begins.
Her dramatic segment is quickly interrupted by two men in hip-waders walking through the water just past her the boat.
The water is ankle-deep on the men.
The correspondent continues rowing on the water as if nothing has happened, describing how it’s ‘really tough’ in a canoe or boat.
‘This is essentially now a part of the Passaic River in this neighborhood. It rushed in yesterday through the streams and it’s really tough to control a canoe or a boat when you’re out in it – it’s much deeper out there,’ she says.
Archive footage from the NBC Today Show reveals the cringeworthy moment the enthusiastic reporter appeared to try – and fail – to deceive viewers about the extent of flooding hitting parts of the East Coast
The incident, dubbed ‘Canoe-gate’, took place on October 14 2005 when the new and up-and-coming NBC News correspondent was reporting live in Wayne, New Jersey. It shows Kosinski canoeing through floodwater when two men stroll casually through the ankle-deep water
The hosts in the studio interject to question Kosinski on the water level.
‘Actually Michelle is there some kind of severe drop-off there between the floor ground. If we go back we saw these guys a few seconds ago walking,’ asks Lauer, while Couric laughs.
‘Are these holy men walking on top of water?’ Lauer continues as the show replays the moment Kosinski was busted.
Kosinski tries to make light of the awkward situation: ‘Why walk when you can row you guys?
‘When you have a ride like this why would you wanna walk?’
Lauer continues to poke fun at her, asking: ‘Have you run ashore yet?’
She replies: ‘They wouldn’t let me go back into the deep water because they were afraid I would just drift away.’
‘It’s a strange piece of video Michelle,’ Lauer continues before Couric joins in laughing.
‘Is your oar hitting the ground Michelle?’ she asks.
‘Of course not,’ Kosinski replies.
The embarrassing gaffe was picked up by other outlets and soon had done the rounds on the likes of Fox’s Tucker Carlson and Don Imus’s radio show.
Former British Ambassador Kim Darroch and his wife Vanessa together in 2018. Darroch was investigated over an alleged affair with Kosinski. He was later cleared of wrongdoing following a probe by the Department of Justice
US officials believed Michelle Kosinski, pictured left with her British husband Kimbell Duncan at the 2015 White House Correspondents Dinner, was being tipped off by Lord Darroch about highly sensitive Trump administration information
Fifteen years on and Kosinski has once again found herself up a creek without a paddle as allegations of an affair with Darroch and pointed questions over how she obtained sensitive White House information surfaced this week.
Lord Darroch was reportedly suspected of tipping off Kosinski about several Trump administration secrets including plans to make CIA director Mike Pompeo the Secretary of State, which did later happen.
Kosinski is also said to have learned about Pompeo’s plans for a trip to North Korea to push for the return of three US citizens.
No story was reported but the White House became more interested in Kosinski after this time.
She also apparently raised eyebrows when tipped off about US plans for tough sanctions against Russia.
The classified proposals had reportedly been discussed in private with allies in France, Germany and the UK before being announced on April 6.
A source told The Sun Kosinski ‘knew about these sanctions before they were announced’.
She also caused concern after learning about a behind-closed-doors feud between Donald Trump and the US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
The Sun said it had seen ‘intimate’ messages between the pair detailing their plans to meet up. Their affair allegedly began at the start of 2018.
US authorities probed the alleged relationship in detail over fears it could open up Darroch to blackmail by hostile states.
Darroch has been married for 42 years and has two grown-up children while Kosinski is also married with two children.
Kosinski hit back at the allegations in a social media post where she blamed leaks within Trump ‘s own circle for her series of scoops
Darroch quit his Washington post in July last year after leaked cables revealed he had branded Trump ‘incompetent’.
Darroch also claimed the president ‘radiates insecurity’, telling British officials they need to ‘start praising him for something he’s done’ when they meet him.
Kosinski left her post at CNN just five months later, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Darroch has vehemently denied any impropriety and suggestions he leaked the stories to Kosinski.
Kosinski hit back at the allegations in a social media post where she blamed leaks within Trump‘s own circle for her series of scoops.
‘There is a great deal wrong and simply false with what is being reported,’ she wrote on Twitter.
‘A so-called leak investigation found no such leaking. Meaning for all those stories listed that ‘sensitive’ information did not come from the former ambassador.
‘Sounds like I had some good sources and did my job.’
She added: ‘The Pompeo information all (came) from inside Trump’s own orbit. Every damn time.’
