Key Takeaways
- • Rep. Steve Cohen's claimed paternity of Victoria Brink, a 25-year-old woman, was definitively disproven by DNA testing that confirmed John Brink as the biological father, resolving a controversy that emerged during the 2013 State of the Union address.
- • John Brink, president of Houston-based Environment & Energy Group and Victoria's actual father, expressed shock at Cohen's paternity claim but attributed responsibility to his ex-wife Cynthia Sinatra rather than the congressman, stating "I see it as my ex-wife's fault" and that he was unaware of any relationship between Sinatra and Cohen.
- • The controversy centered on Cohen's belief, formed three years prior, that the timing of his past relationship with Sinatra aligned with Victoria Brink's 1988 birth, a conclusion Cohen reached after Googling Sinatra and discovering she had a daughter.
- • Victoria Brink was allegedly "sworn to secrecy" by her mother regarding any connection to Cohen, and the family was unaware that Cohen had taken both Victoria and Sinatra to the White House Christmas party the previous year.
- • Brink and Sinatra's marriage occurred in 1985 with a 1989 divorce, establishing clear biological paternity that Cohen's claim had contradicted.
Summary
A paternity controversy involving Tennessee Representative Steve Cohen was conclusively resolved in July 2013 when DNA testing confirmed that John Brink, not Cohen, is the biological father of Victoria Brink, a 25-year-old woman. The dispute had captured public attention after Cohen was photographed tweeting at Victoria during the State of the Union address earlier that year, at which point he publicly claimed she was his daughter.
According to interviews with POLITICO, John Brink stated he was "rocked" by Cohen's paternity claim and had been entirely unaware that the congressman even knew his ex-wife, Texas lawyer Cynthia Sinatra. Brink, who serves as president of Houston-based Environment & Energy Group, expressed that he learned of the alleged connection only through Cohen's public comments during the State of the Union event. Despite the shock, Brink placed responsibility for the situation on his ex-wife rather than Cohen, telling reporters: "How could I get mad at him? I don't see it as his fault, I see it as my ex-wife's fault."
Cohen had explained to reporters that he came to believe Victoria was his daughter approximately three years prior, after conducting an internet search for Sinatra and learning she had a daughter. Cohen stated that the timing of his past relationship with Sinatra aligned with Victoria's 1988 birth year. Brink and Sinatra had married in 1985 and divorced in 1989, establishing the biological relationship that the DNA test would later confirm. Notably, Brink was unaware that Cohen had invited Victoria and Sinatra to the White House Christmas party the previous year, believing they had secured invitations independently.
The resolution came through a CNN-aired DNA test that aired Thursday morning. Brink indicated he had anticipated the outcome, stating: "Well, of course, I already knew the outcome before I took the DNA test." The test definitively established that John Brink remains Victoria's biological father, concluding the matter that had created significant personal disruption for the family.
According to interviews with POLITICO, John Brink stated he was "rocked" by Cohen's paternity claim and had been entirely unaware that the congressman even knew his ex-wife, Texas lawyer Cynthia Sinatra. Brink, who serves as president of Houston-based Environment & Energy Group, expressed that he learned of the alleged connection only through Cohen's public comments during the State of the Union event. Despite the shock, Brink placed responsibility for the situation on his ex-wife rather than Cohen, telling reporters: "How could I get mad at him? I don't see it as his fault, I see it as my ex-wife's fault."
Cohen had explained to reporters that he came to believe Victoria was his daughter approximately three years prior, after conducting an internet search for Sinatra and learning she had a daughter. Cohen stated that the timing of his past relationship with Sinatra aligned with Victoria's 1988 birth year. Brink and Sinatra had married in 1985 and divorced in 1989, establishing the biological relationship that the DNA test would later confirm. Notably, Brink was unaware that Cohen had invited Victoria and Sinatra to the White House Christmas party the previous year, believing they had secured invitations independently.
The resolution came through a CNN-aired DNA test that aired Thursday morning. Brink indicated he had anticipated the outcome, stating: "Well, of course, I already knew the outcome before I took the DNA test." The test definitively established that John Brink remains Victoria's biological father, concluding the matter that had created significant personal disruption for the family.
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