Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Thursday, Mar 30, 2023

Sam Brinton, non-binary Biden official arrested over stolen suitcase

Sam Brinton, a Biden administration nuclear official, made headlines this week after they were arrested for allegedly stealing a woman’s suitcase in Minneapolis airport -- and then using it for a month before claiming it was taken by accident.

Sam Brinton, a Biden administration nuclear official, made headlines this week after they were arrested for allegedly stealing a woman’s suitcase in Minneapolis airport — and then using it for a month before claiming it was taken by accident.

But it isn’t the first time the 35-year-old nuclear engineer has made the news.

Brinton, who uses they/them pronouns, became one of the federal government’s first gender non-binary officials earlier this year when they took on a role in the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy.

So who is Sam Brinton – and what path did they take to get in the Biden administration?



Southern Baptist background

Brinton was born in Iowa to Southern Baptist missionary parents who moved the family from place to place.

They told Yahoo Life last month that they came out as bisexual to their parents in high school — and was quickly put into a conversion therapy program for two years in a bid to change their sexual identity.

“It caused a lot of suicidal ideation in my life,” Brinton told the outlet.

“It did a lot of damage to both me and my family because my family was given the false hope that I could just flip a switch, and change when I would recognize that I wasn’t changing.”

Their experience spurred them to launch the #50Bills50States campaign with The Trevor Project, a LGBTQ youth organization, to try and ban conversion therapy nationwide.

“We passed more than 20 laws ending conversion therapy, protecting future generations from ever having to go through what I went through,” Brinton said.

It was around this time that Brinton decided to start pursuing nuclear engineering.


From nuclear engineer to government official

Brinton obtained their undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering with a nuclear engineering focus from Kansas State University before going on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to receive graduate degrees in nuclear science and engineering.

Before taking up the government job, Brinton spent several years working for liberal and environmentalist think tanks — including the Breakthrough Institute, Clean Air Task Force and Third Way.

They were named deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition at the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy back in June.

Brinton celebrated the new gig by posting a photo on social media that showed them wearing a red jumpsuit, bright lipstick and Stars and Stripes-clad stilettos.

In their role, Brinton manages “ongoing research and development related to long-term disposition of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste,” according to their official government bio page.


Views on gender identity

Brinton opened up on becoming the first openly genderfluid person in government service, telling Yahoo Life that they had been given an opportunity to “serve my country as I am.”

“I can’t change my identity more than anyone can change intrinsic parts about themselves, but I can change my openness,” they said.

“And so I am given the opportunity to serve my country as I am, and that’s a really important aspect of my work because I work on nuclear waste management, where transparency and honesty and trust-building are so critical.”

They added: “So if I can’t be myself, it’s really hard to build those relationships. I’m proud to say that, yes, I get to be the first openly genderfluid person in this type of government service, but I won’t be the last.”


The suitcase

Brinton’s arrest for the alleged theft came just months after they took up the federal government gig.

They are accused of snatching a $2,325 Vera Bradley suitcase from baggage claim at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport back on Sept. 16, court documents say.

When Brinton was confronted by police nearly a month later, they initially denied stealing the bag — insisting their clothes were inside the suitcase at the time.

But Brinton quickly backtracked and claimed they had taken the piece of luggage by mistake.

Brinton told police they first realized the bag wasn’t theirs when they opened it at the hotel. They got nervous that someone would think they stole it, so they emptied out the suitcase and dumped the woman’s clothes in the drawers of the hotel room, the court documents say.

Surveillance footage showed Brinton allegedly grabbing the luggage from the carousel and removing the ID tag identifying the owner. Brinton was later captured on surveillance using the same suitcase on at least two trips to Washington, DC, on Sept. 18 and Oct. 9, according to authorities.

The Biden official was charged with felony theft of a moveable property without consent.

Comments

Anna 115 days ago
Time to fire they them him she it

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
Close
0:00
0:00
China and Brazil have signed a new deal that will allow them to trade in their own currencies, bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary
Elon Musk and Others Call for Pause on A.I., Citing ‘Profound Risks to Society’
“We've had evidence prior to the pandemic that masks were largely ineffective at preventing community transmission of influenza “
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz:
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz rejects being labeled a "billionaire"
Jamie Dimon is being deposed over JPMorgan Chase role in Epstein lawsuits
Brand new security footage has just been released to the public showing the Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale drove to Covenant Church School in her Honda Fit this morning, parked, and shot her way into the building
Social Media censoring users for saying the true
Smart Iranian fashion designer teaching dummy TV anchors lesson about reality
AMERICA, 2023
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 million bribe
Fallen 'Crypto King' Who Owes Millions to Investors Was Kidnapped and Tortured
Regulators blame social media for SVB's rapid collapse: 'Complete game changer'
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
Singapore’s Prime Minister says China and US need to stabilize relations because world can't afford a confict between the two superpowers
In a dramatic U-turn against His Government: Judicial Reform Legislation Must Be Halted, Says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Bordeaux town hall set on fire in France pro democracy protest
Police violence in Paris
Paris: Some of the police are stepping down and showing solidarity with the protesters.
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Goldman Sachs cuts outlook for European bank debt over Credit Suisse crisis
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
The US government has charged Chinese businessman Guo Wengui with leading a $1 billion fraud scheme that cheated thousands of followers out of their money.
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
The BBC problem about China
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Announcing GPT-4
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
Saudi Arabia has announced a major breakthrough in diplomacy with Iran after two years of intense talks
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
A primitive judge in Australia sparked outrage when he told a breastfeeding woman to leave his courtroom for being “a distraction"
×