Lawmaker Steve Cohen Claims He ‘Punked’ Media on Flirty Tweets to Cyndi Lauper
Rep. Steve Cohen Image by getty images
Jewish Rep. Steve Cohen says he was playing a joke on reporters by Tweeting — then quickly deleting — a flirty message to singer Cyndi Lauper.
Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, said he knew the Tweet, in which he thanked the ’90s star for “what a night,” would get attention because of a similar incident during the State of the Union speech involving his bikini model love child daughter, Politico reported.
Victoria Brink
“I tweeted exactly what I wanted to tweet and I deleted exactly what I wanted to delete,” Cohen told reporters at a press conference Friday.
Cohen, who is a lifelong bachelor, met Lauper at a White House event promoting the musical legacy of his hometown.
He later Tweeted: “@cyndilauper great night,couldn’t believe how hot u were.see you again next Tuesday.try a little tenderness,” the web site said. Another one read: “Cyndi,Wow what a night!See you next Tuesday and Try a little tenderness again!Wow!What a special night.Thanks Steve.”
He quickly deleted the Tweets, which he said were designed to nettle reporters who keep track of his account.
He joked that Justin Timberlake and a group called the Alabama Shakes, who were also at the event, were just as “hot” as Lauper.
Cohen’s first Twitter misstep came when social media-watchers noted his overly familiar Tweets to sexy bikini model Victoria Brink during President Obama’s state of the union address to the nation.
Cohen later disclosed that Brink was actually his daughter from a long-ago relationship and he had only recently discovered their relationship.
“Pleased u r watching. Ilu,” he Tweeted at the time, using a popular shorthand for “I love you.”
“When she let me know she was watching the State of the Union address… I had such joy, that I couldn’t hold back from tweeting her,” he told NBC news.
Cohen, a four-term lawmaker, is the first Jewish congressman from Tennessee.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
