Biden Administration Official Accused of Second Luggage Theft

Sam Brinton in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2019. Tasia Wells/Getty Images for The Trevor Project

A troubled Biden administration official, who was appointed to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy, has been accused of stealing a woman’s luggage at an airport for a second time this year.

Self-described gender fluid “pup handler” Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy, Sam Brinton, was put on leave by the department after the official was charged with stealing luggage at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on Sept. 16, according to court documents.

Now, Brinton is being accused of stealing luggage on Dec. 8 from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, KLAS reported.

A felony warrant reportedly was issued for the Biden official on charges of grand larceny over items with a value between $1,200 and $5,000, according to records seen by KLAS.

A Troubled Appointment

The deputy assistant secretary was in charge of spent nuclear fuel and waste disposal, according to the Office of Nuclear Energy’s website.

Brinton was one of the federal government’s first appointed gender-fluid officials and was granted a top-secret “Q clearance” with a $178,063 yearly salary, in January of this year, according to The National Pulse.

“I lead a staff of hundreds and a budget of millions (with a Nuclear Waste Fund I’m responsible for at over $45 billion) as the leader of the office overseeing the management of the nation’s spent nuclear fuel,” said Brinton in a tweet.

Sam Brinton. Department of Energy

A former drag queen, the DOE official was an LGBTQ+ activist who had “lectured” about “kink” on college campuses and had advocated puppy dog BDSM fetish roleplay for students, The National Pulse reported.

The first arrest in Minnesota reportedly involved the theft of a woman’s blue Vera Bradley suitcase from the baggage claim area at the Minnesota airport, according to the complaint.

Brinton allegedly removed the suitcase’s ID tag after grabbing it from the carousel, according to camera security footage.

The DOE employee then quickly left the area after taking the bag and then fled into an Uber.

The Biden appointee was later spotted returning to Minnesota airport with the stolen bag while traveling to Washington D.C. on Sept. 18  and Oct. 9, according to investigators.

After the arrest, Brinton initially denied stealing the bag but told law enforcement that he mistook it as his own, despite not having any bags checked in and no reason to be in the baggage claim area, according to court filings.

The victim of the attempted theft said the contents of her stolen bag were valued at around $2,325.

The DOE deputy secretary made a plea to have the preliminary court hearings be held remotely due to “financial difficulties” commuting between Washington D.C. and Minnesota.

House Republicans Demand Dismissal

Sixteen House Republicans demanded that Brinton step down or be removed over the initial allegations in a letter written by R​ep. ​Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Dec. 6.

“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​,” the congresspersons wrote.

Brinton is due in court on Dec. 19 in Hennepin County, Minnesota.