WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – Sam Brinton, President Joe Biden’s ‘non-binary’ Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition at the Office of Nuclear Energy (ONE), no longer works for the department.
The Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed this in a statement to the Daily Beast.
“Sam Brinton is no longer a DOE employee. By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters,” the statement reads.
The announcement was made as Brinton faces a pair of charges related to two separate incidents in which he allegedly stole luggage while traveling. It is not clear if Brinton resigned or was fired.
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In early July, Brinton was allegedly caught on camera stealing a woman’s $320 bag at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport. It contained about $3,500 worth of jewelry, clothes, and makeup, the New York Post reported.
In September, Brinton allegedly stole another bag at the baggage claim at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the contents of which were valued at $2,325. The DOE placed Brinton on leave after charges were brought against him in relation to the Minneapolis theft. It is not clear if Brinton was placed on paid or unpaid leave.
Shortly after news broke of Brinton’s charges in connection with the Minneapolis theft, a detective from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department recognized Brinton as the alleged thief in the surveillance video of the Las Vegas theft. Police had up to that point been unable to identify who stole the luggage. According to the detective, Brinton was identified by the t-shirt he wore, which depicted a rainbow flag with an atom. The detective said that Brinton wore the same shirt in a social media post, which helped lead to the identification.
Brinton faces two sets of charges from the alleged thefts. Last month, Brinton was charged in Minneapolis with felony theft of moveable property without consent; sentencing can entail five years of prison time, a $10,000 fine, or both. In Las Vegas, Brinton faces grand larceny charges valued to between $1,200 and $5,000, as well as up to ten years in prison. The Las Vegas related charges were filed shortly after the ones in Minneapolis.
Following news of the Minneapolis theft, Senate Republican John Barrasso of Wyoming sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm demanding Brinton’s resignation. “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,” Barrasso wrote in the letter. “Additionally, the Department should undertake all necessary steps to terminate their [sic] employment immediately.”
Barrasso also requested that he receive a review of the DOE’s process of adjudicating security clearance, as well as answer several questions related to how the DOE grants security clearance. Barrasso asked that the findings of the review as well as answers to his questions be delivered by Tuesday.
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Barrasso is not the only Congressional Republican to demand Brinton’s resignation. Last week, a group of House Republicans led by Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde sent a similar demand to Granholm, stating “We demand the resignation of Sam Brinton, and we implore you to set aside petty politics and appoint only the most qualified and dedicated individuals to influence America’s energy sector.”
Brinton was appointed to his position by the president in February. His hiring drew attention for his extracurricular activities, including drag, BDSM-tinged “puppy play” (a fetish that involves pretending to be dogs or dog handlers), and lobbying against talk therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction, ostensibly driven by his experience as a “survivor of a traumatic and torturous conversion therapy experience” (the veracity of which has been called into question).