Ex-Biden admin official Brinton's luggage caper occurred during taxpayer-funded trip: report

Former Department of Energy official Sam Brinton, the non-binary ex-government employee who stole luggage, committed one such caper at the time of a taxpayer-funded trip, White House documents show.

Brinton escaped jail time by negotiating a plea deal in relation to a July 6 theft from Harry Reid International Airport during which he absconded with a suitcase carrying contents worth thousands of dollars.

White House documents that the Functional Government Initiative (FGI) obtained and shared with Fox News indicate that Brinton took a taxpayer-funded trip to the Nevada National Security Site near Las Vegas during that time and arrived at the airport on July 6, 2022, the same day as the luggage theft.

A DOE expense report from August 2022 estimated the cost of Brinton's four-day trip, during which he stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club, to total at $1,951.50.

The watchdog group fumed at the revelations, with FGI spokesperson Peter McGinnis telling Fox that "[i]t's outrageous that tax dollars transported Brinton to and from the scene of a crime, putting the American public unwittingly at the wheel of the getaway car."

"The federal government obviously needs a more stringent vetting process for senior-level positions," he added.

Brinton, until his resignation, was among the highest-ranking non-binary federal officials.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.