Brinton was previously charged with theft in Minnesota for allegedly taking another passenger’s hard-sided suitcase from the baggage carousel at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport after a flight in September.Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Brinton served in roles at several think tanks, including the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Breakthrough Institute and Third Way.They also worked with the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on preventing suicides among the LGBTQ community, to start a campaign to ban conversion therapy throughout the country.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.”In the same Twitter thread, Brinton said they held off announcing the news after receiving “more than a hundred death threats and more vitriol than I could have imagined.”Earlier this month, a group of Republican members of Congress issued a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm demanding Brinton’s resignation.The 16 signatories alleged that Brinton “was placed on leave without providing crucial context clarifying that Brinton’s recent employment status was the result of a felony charge.”They called on Granholm “to set aside petty politics and appoint only the most qualified and dedicated individuals to influence America’s energy sector.” But the letter’s lead signatory, Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, on Twitter suggested without proof that Brinton’s hiring to a non-political federal role was part of the Biden administration’s efforts to prioritize “wokeness.” Additional tweets from Clyde misgender Brinton."