Biden's non-binary nuclear waste guru Sam Brinton LEAVES role at DoE over claims they stole two suitcases from airports

• e-mail

President Joe Biden's non-binary nuclear waste official has left the administration. 

Sam Brinton, 35, who uses 'they/their' pronouns, no longer has their Department of Energy job after they were accused of stealing luggage in two separate incidents. 

A Department of Energy spokesperson said on Monday evening: 'Sam Brinton is no longer a DOE employee. By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters.' 

It's unclear if Brinton resigned of their own accord, if they were fired - or if they were given the chance to resign before being fired.  

Brinton, who was appointed in June, is now accused of stealing suitcases from airports in Minneapolis and Las Vegas. 

Controversial Sam Brinton, 35, has been laid off from his Department of Energy job after being accused of stealing luggage in two separate incidents

Brinton posted this photo in June, captioned: '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'

A security footage image showed Brinton walking through Harry Reid International Airport with the luggage during the summer.

The $320 case, which was lifted from a carousel, was stuffed with more than $3,000-worth of jewelry, clothes and makeup, according to 8 News Now Investigators.

It is unclear why they targeted the suitcase or if it was because it was from a luxury brand.

It came after Brinton was also accused of stealing a suitcase from an airport in Minneapolis.

Brinton faces charges for the incidents at both the Las Vegas and Minneapolis airports and they are due in court in Minnesota on December 19.

Security footage caught the moment President Biden's non-binary energy secretary Sam Brinton, 35, appeared to snatch a suitcase from the airport in Las Vegas this summer 

In the selfie, Brinton is wearing a white shirt with a rainbow atomic nuclear symbol design. It matches the shirt the suspect is wearing in the airport surveillance video, police said

According to the arrest report, a woman who had traveled from Dulles International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on July 6 filed a police report when she could not locate her suitcase, and after she had checked with the airline.

The stolen suitcase was described in the report as a gray, hard-shelled 'Away' brand 'Bigger Carry-On' model valued at $320.

The woman told cops her suitcase was a total value of more than $3,670, and it included jewelry, makeup, contact lenses and clothing, according to the report.

When a Las Vegas Metropolitan police officer reviewed surveillance video, the officer 'observed several nonverbal cues, or body language anomalies, from the suspect, which caught his attention,' the report stated.

'Specifically, Brinton pulled the victim's luggage from the carousel and examined the tag.

'Then placed it back on the carousel, looking in all directions for anyone who might be watching, or might approach.

'Pulling it back off the carousel and demonstrating the same behavior by looking around before walking away with it quickly.'

A suspect was not identified until a police officer saw a news article in November naming Brinton as a suspect in luggage theft at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in September.

Sam Brinton was tapped as deputy assistant secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy by the Biden Administration in January, and took up the role in June

The criminal complaint from the incident in Minneapolis describes how Brinton traveled from Washington DC to Minneapolis without a checked bag, but then retrieved one from the luggage carousel once they'd landed in Minnesota.

Surveillance footage from the airport - which is yet to be released - is said to show them removing the luggage tug from the bag and placing it in their handbag.

When cops called Brinton the first time, they played dumb. 

Then, Brinton phoned the authorities themselves and admitted to taking the bag but insisted it was a mistake, and that they were simply tired.

Photos in the news stories from Minneapolis matched the suspect in the Las Vegas luggage theft, according to the warrant filed this week. 

The warrant revealed that Brinton had posted to Instagram on July 6, the same day of the theft.

'Thank you to @americannuclear for selling such a great shirt for me to wear on my flight today,' the post said. 

'My professional society continues to grow and learn and I'm proud of them. Goodness how we have changed since my service as a chapter president and then on the National Board of Directors. #NuclearPride.'

In the selfie, Brinton is wearing a white shirt with a rainbow atomic nuclear symbol design. It matches the shirt the suspect is wearing in the airport surveillance video, police said.

Brinton faces charges in both incidents and is due in court in Minnesota on the first charges, relating to an incident in September when they were on their way to a conference. 

 

Brinton, a 34-year-old non-binary drag queen, admitted to stealing a navy blue hard-sided Vera Bradley suitcase from the luggage carousel valued at $2,325 after previously lying to police and saying it was their luggage. Pictured: Brinton spotted heading to the airport on February 28, 2022

Since 2019, Brinton has been married to their husband, Kevin Rieck (left). The couple began dating in 2015

The White House has repeatedly refused to comment on the scandal, claiming it is a non-political issue.

The Department of Energy has also tried to distance Biden from the issue.

Brinton was appointed in June with much fanfare. 

'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.

'They identify as gender-fluid and use the pronouns they, them, and theirs,' their bio reads.

On top of working in the Department of Energy, they also held seminars including a recent event on spanking. 

Brinton lives in Washington DC with their husband.