MEMPHIS, Tenn. – U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen has
revealed he's the father of the 24-year-old Texas woman he was communicating
with on Twitter during the State of the Union in an exchange that drew news
media attention.
He said he only found out about Victoria Brink three years ago.
Cohen, who has never been married, said Friday that he
decided to publicly acknowledge Brink as his daughter after bloggers
and the media tried to make the exchanges appear salacious.
"The young lady is my daughter, and it was most appropriate that I responded to her and told her I loved her, which I do," Cohen said.
Aide Michael Pagan said Cohen told him he thought the messages to Victoria Brink were private. One was sent during the State of the Union speech Tuesday night and the second was sent Wednesday morning, in response to her tweet "@RepCohen just saw you on tv!"
Cohen's tweets ended with "Ilu," and Pagan said the initials stand for "I love you." Pagan initially said that Brink was the daughter of a longtime friend, and Cohen deleted his tweets because they were supposed to
be private messages.
At 57, Cohen is a life-long bachelor but has a longtime girlfriend in Memphis.
He said he found out about Brink after searching for her mother, and discovering that she had a child.
(The Associated Press Contributed To This Report.)
