Sam Brinton, Biden’s Non-binary nuclear official is fired after repeated theft charges

On Monday, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it had fired Sam Brinton, a 35-year-old Biden administration deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition at the DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy. This move comes after Brinton was reportedly charged with stealing luggage from airports in Minneapolis and Las Vegas earlier this year.

According to reports, Brinton’s firing came in the wake of accusations that they had stolen a woman’s suitcase from a Minneapolis airport in September and another woman’s bag from a Las Vegas airport in July. A spokesperson for the DOE told the Daily Beast “Sam Brinton is no longer a DOE employee. By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters.”

The Post has reached out to the agency for comment but has yet to receive a response. Brinton was considered an important part of President Biden’s nuclear energy policy team, which is focused on making nuclear energy more accessible and working towards creating clean energy solutions.

Brinton identifies as non-binary and his termination is seen by the left as indicative of systemic issues within institutions like the DOE that have yet to be addressed. Those who are familiar with Brinton’s work noted that his firing may set back some of the progress made under President Biden regarding nuclear energy reform as well as LGBTQ+ rights both inside and outside of government offices.