A Department of Energy official who was celebrated for being a non-binary figure in the Biden administration is now out of a job.
Samuel Brinton was named the deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition in June. Since then, he has made headlines after being accused of two baggage thefts at two different airports, as Fox News reported.
According to Fox, a Department of Energy representative said Brinton “is no longer a DOE employee.”
The Daily Beast was told a similar story.
“Sam Brinton is no longer a DOE employee. By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters,” the site reported that it was told by a representative of the department.
Brinton was appointed in June.
It’s official. As of June 19th, I now serve my nation as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy in the Department of Energy. pic.twitter.com/zLq3Bf97X2
— Sam Brinton (@sbrinton) June 29, 2022
Brinton has been accused of taking luggage at airports in Minnesota and Nevada, according to Fox News. If convicted of the charges against him, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
Should this person ever have been appointed?
Yes: 0% (0 Votes)
No: 100% (4 Votes)
Police accused him of taking a suitcase and its contents worth $3,670 on July 6 while he was at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, according to Fox. Brinton also faces a charge of taking a bag and its contents worth $2,325 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport in September.
Brinton, who has promoted himself as non-binary and said he was a member of a drag queen group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, has been put on leave after the initial allegation against him.
Congrats to Sam Brinton on being the first “non-binary” official to be fired by the Biden Administration! Shattering the glass ceiling!
— Alex Spencer (@AlexSpencerUSA) December 13, 2022
On Dec. 6, Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, along with 15 other GOP House members, called upon Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to fire Brinton.
“We write to respectfully demand the resignation of the Department of Energy’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition, Sam Brinton, who was recently put on leave following felony theft charges,” the letter stated.
“As an appointed official, Sam Brinton represents both your Department and the United States. It is simply not possible for an individual to represent American values and simultaneously violate the felony laws of the land. Brinton’s actions, along with your Department’s lack of transparency when dealing with this matter, reflect poorly on the Department of Energy, and they raise concern as to the Biden Administration’s priorities when appointing high-ranking officials. It is imperative that we do not allow a person charged with a felony to influence America’s policies,” the letter stated.
“Furthermore, our nation is in the midst of an energy crisis – a crisis that was unquestionably created by the Biden Administration’s reckless, radical, and failed policies. Your Department should be dedicated to a pro-American energy agenda, focusing on restoring energy independence and lowering energy prices across the nation. However, to many Americans, it appears that you are more interested in playing politics and protecting an employee who admitted to felony theft to police than providing real solutions for hard-working Americans,” the letter stated.
The letter further asked Granholm to “set aside petty politics and appoint only the most qualified and dedicated individuals to influence America’s energy sector.”
The Department of Energy had praised Brinton in June as a “well-known advocate LGBTQ youth,” according to the New York Post.
“Sam is also a well-known advocate for LGBTQ youth and helped to secure protections against the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy in more than half of the country,” it said then.
