CNN anchor Pamela Brown recently found herself under scrutiny after a heated exchange with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) regarding Sam Brinton, a former Biden administration official. Brinton, who had been appointed in 2022 to oversee nuclear energy policies at the Department of Energy (DOE) as a nonbinary, gender-fluid official, became embroiled in a theft scandal involving stolen luggage from airports.
During the exchange, Burchett reminded Brown of Brinton’s involvement in the luggage thefts, which included two separate incidents. Brown, however, insisted that she knew nothing about the case, stating, “I don’t know anything about that, I’ll be transparent.” This prompted Burchett to criticize the Biden administration, claiming that someone overseeing nuclear secrets should not have been involved in such thefts.
While CNN briefly covered Brinton’s departure from the DOE in December 2022, the network has been criticized for not giving the story more attention. In fact, CNN’s on-air coverage of Brinton’s connections to the Biden administration was limited, with one segment clarifying that Brinton was a senior civil service official, not a political appointee.
Brinton’s legal troubles began in 2022 when they were charged with stealing two suitcases in separate incidents in Minnesota and Las Vegas, with items worth thousands of dollars. Despite the serious charges, Brinton avoided jail time by entering an adult diversion program, which included community service and a mental health evaluation.
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld condemned Brown’s apparent lack of awareness, calling it “ignorance” and jokingly remarking that CNN’s new motto should be, “We know nothing, but at least it’s transparent.”
