That certainly seems to be the case for Sam Brinston.
Last month, the now-suspended MIT graduate and deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the U.S. Department of Energy was charged with felony theft of luggage from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to reports.
He went viral earlier this year when he took to Twitter to announce his new role.
“As one of if not the very first openly genderfluid individuals in federal government leadership, I was welcomed with open arms into the Department of Energy all the way up to the Secretary whom I shared the stage with in a Pride month celebration panel just today,” he wrote at the time.
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
Alpha News reported at the time:
Law enforcement at the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) International Airport were alerted to a missing suitcase in the baggage claim area on Sept. 16. The adult female victim said she flew into MSP on a Delta flight from New Orleans and went to retrieve her checked bag at carousel seven.
Airport records confirmed the navy blue Vera Bradley roller bag arrived at 4:40 p.m. but was missing from the carousel. So law enforcement reviewed video surveillance footage from the baggage claim area and observed Brinton removing a navy blue roller bag from carousel seven, according to a criminal complaint.
Now it appears as though Brinton has been charged with a second felony involving an alleged stolen piece of luggage from the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
“The charge is for grand larceny with a value between $1,200 and $5,000, records showed,” according to KLAS.
Last week, Georgia Republican R?ep. ?Andrew Clyde and 15 other GOP lawmakers sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm demanding that Brinton resign.
“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 said.
“Despite not checking a bag before flying out of Washington, D.C., surveillance footage reveals Brinton taking and leaving with luggage from the baggage carousel at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on September 16th.1 After initially lying to the police, Brinton later admitted to taking a suitcase valued at $2,325 and hiding the owner’s belongings in a hotel room.2 Alarmingly, Brinton has been observed using the stolen suitcase on multiple trips to Washington, D.C.3 , and was ultimately charged with felony theft, which carries a penalty of up to five years imprisonment, a $10,000 fine, or both,” the letter continued.
“As you are aware, your Department issued notice that Sam Brinton was placed on leave without providing crucial context clarifying that Brinton’s recent employment status was the result of a felony charge. 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 lawmakers noted.
“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,” they said.
This administration is a joke.
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