Sam Brinton, who previously made headlines for being “gender fluid” and earning a post in the Biden administration at the U.S. Department of Energy, hit the news again for being charged with a crime after allegedly stealing bags at the Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport.
Brinton revealed on Twitter in June that he became the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposal at the Energy Department earlier in the year.
“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,” Brinton tweeted.
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
“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,” Brinton added in the Twitter thread.
But goodness is this a time for celebration! It’s really really official! The beautiful irony that the months-long process of getting me into this role culminated in a Pride month start date is not lost on me.
— Sam Brinton (@sbrinton) June 29, 2022
Brinton also has a background as a “non-binary drag queen” and is a transgender activist, notably associated with the Order of Perpetual Indulgence, “a non-profit group who dress up as nuns to raise awareness of sexual intolerance and transphobia,” the Daily Mail reported.
Alpha News reported that on September 16, a woman at the MSP airport complained that her suitcase was gone when she got to the baggage claim area.
According to security footage reviewed by law authorities, Brinton took the suitcase, removed the luggage tag, and returned to the airport two days later with the bag.
Later, surveillance footage reportedly captured Brinton carrying the bag again on October 9 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, according to Alpha News.
The original owner of the bag stated that the bag and its contents were worth more than $2,000, according to Alpha News.
According to the reports of Alpha News, when the police questioned Brinton about the bag, he claimed that he had stolen it but that it contained his clothing.
“If I had taken the wrong bag, I am happy to return it, but I don’t have any clothes for another individual. That was my clothes when I opened the bag,” Brinton reportedly told the police.
According to Alpha News, Brinton’s hearing is planned on December 19 in Hennepin County, Minnesota.