Three and a half years ago Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., thought that he had found a long lost daughter from a tryst he had years ago, on Thursday the congressman found out through a DNA test that the 24-year-old college student was not his daughter, according to USA Today.
Cohen's relationship with Victoria Brink became public during President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech earlier this year and initially was thought to be scandalous. Cohen had sent tweets to Brink that ended with "Ilu," Internet speak for "I Love You," and then deleted them. When questioned about the tweets Cohen revealed that Brink was his daughter, according to the Washington Post.
Upon hearing the results of the DNA test Cohen issued a statement saying that he was "stunned and dismayed" that Brink was not his daughter as he had believed.
"I still love Victoria, hold dear the time I have shared with her, and hope to continue to be a part of her life," Cohen said. "It's been a roller-coaster ride these last three and a half years, from which I have learned something about parenting and some more about love, life and heartache."
Cohen had been led to believe that Brink was his daughter after doing a simple Google search for Victoria's mother. When he learned that she had a daughter who was born roughly nine months after they had been together he assumed that Brink was his daughter and contacted her, according to CNN.
For the three years that Cohen assumed that Brink was his daughter they kept it a secret. After the tweets at the State of the Union they were forced to make things public since people assumed the congressman was having a sexual relationship with a woman 40 years younger than him, according to CNN.
"It was very hard to keep a secret like that," Brink said.
In an interview with CBS News Cohen explained why he had never bothered to get a DNA test earlier.
"I didn't have children, I was thrilled to have a daughter, and I didn't want in any way at all for her to think that I was questioning the relationship or trying to avoid the relationship," Cohen said.
It is unclear whether or not Cohen will continue to stay in contact with Brink.
"I care about Victoria greatly. I have here pictures in my office," Cohen told CBS News. "She's a very sweet young lady. For three and a half years I had a daughter, and it was nice to care about somebody and share."
