Nonbinary Biden admin. official fired after being charged again for luggage theft
A Biden administration official who identifies as nonbinary has been dismissed from his position at the Department of Energy in response to multiple allegations of luggage theft.
Sam Brinton, who served as deputy assistant secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the U.S. Energy Department's Office of Nuclear Energy, is no longer employed by the administration.
"Sam Brinton is no longer a DOE employee. By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters," a department spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday.
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An MIT graduate who uses they/them pronouns and engages in LGBT activism, Brinton garnered controversy following multiple allegations of stealing luggage at airports.
In November, Brinton was charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing a woman's designer luggage that was worth over $2,000 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in September.
Brinton reportedly used the stolen suitcase for a European trip before being contacted by authorities in October regarding the item. Brinton claimed that he had taken the bag by mistake.
Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm expressing "serious concerns" about Brinton in late November.
"It is in the interest of both the Department's mission and our national security that the Deputy Assistant Secretary's clearance be immediately revoked. Additionally, the Department should undertake all necessary steps to terminate their employment immediately," wrote Barrasso.
Barrasso cited a letter from July stating it was "imperative" that "executive branch officials are free of a history of conduct unbecoming of federal service."
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department recently issued an arrest warrant for Brinton, alleging he stole a piece of luggage at Harry Reid International Airport in July.
The contents inside the bag stolen at the Las Vegas airport were estimated to be worth about $3,600, including around $1,700 of jewelry and $500 in makeup.
The case had been temporarily closed due to investigators' inability to identify an individual in the video footage. But once Brinton garnered headlines for being accused of stealing luggage in Minnesota, an officer reportedly identified Brinton as the suspect in the Las Vegas case.
The warrant says Brinton "can clearly be seen and identified on video stealing" a woman's gray luggage suitcase from the baggage claim area at the Las Vegas airport "and leaving" with the item.
"[Brinton] demonstrated several signs of abnormal behavior while taking the victim's luggage which are cues suspects typically give off when committing luggage theft," the warrant added, as reported by Insider earlier this week.
Brinton garnered headlines earlier this year over social media posts showing him engaging in sexually fetishistic imagery and actions.
