Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming wants the Department of Energy to launch an internal review of its security clearance process after the firing of Sam Brinton, a nonbinary nuclear waste official who faces charges of stealing airport luggage.
Senior Democrats on the Senate Energy Committee are not ready to call for the dismissal of Sam Brinton, who was heralded as the first gender-fluid person with a high-ranking federal post but now faces felony charges for stealing designer luggage at a Minneapolis airport.
An inspector general has opened a review of the Energy Department after reports that it paid to develop advanced battery technology at a U.S. national laboratory then turned it over to China and shut down requests from American companies to license the technology.
Lawmakers want answers on why the federal government allegedly handed over to China expensive, advanced battery technology that cost taxpayers millions of dollars to develop.