CNN anchor Pamela Brown found herself at the center of controversy after claiming she knew nothing about Sam Brinton, the former Biden administration official charged with multiple counts of luggage theft. During a tense segment on Tuesday, Brown insisted, “I don’t know anything about that, I’ll be transparent,” after Representative Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., referenced Brinton while discussing nuclear security issues.  

 

Brinton, a nonbinary former nuclear waste policy official at the Department of Energy (DOE), first gained attention in 2022 for their appointment as one of the highest-ranking gender-fluid officials in government. However, they became infamous when they were charged with stealing women’s luggage from airport baggage carousels. The scandal, which included multiple charges of grand larceny and theft, unfolded over several months, but Brown appeared unaware of the situation during her exchange with Burchett.  

 

LOL: @TimBurchett brings up Sam Brinton in a tense back-and-forth with liberal host @PamelaBrownCNN about @DOGE and workers overseeing the nuclear stockpile. Brown pleads ignorance, brushing it off as something she doesn't "know anything about" and it's "unrelated"

LOL: @TimBurchett brings up Sam Brinton in a tense back-and-forth with liberal host @PamelaBrownCNN about @DOGE and workers overseeing the nuclear stockpile.

Brown pleads ignorance, brushing it off as something she doesn't "know anything about" and it's "unrelated" pic.twitter.com/olfJi9hA2C

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 18, 2025

 

“You talk about nuclear secrets, you had a person who was in charge of nuclear secrets, a man, who dressed up as a woman, would go into the airport and steal women’s luggage, was overseeing those nuclear secrets under the Biden administration and I never heard y’all say a peep about that,” Burchett told Brown.  

 

Brown quickly dismissed the comment, insisting she was unaware of the story. Burchett then urged her to “look up” Brinton’s background, highlighting what he viewed as the media’s failure to cover the case extensively.  

 

Critics noted that CNN had largely ignored Brinton’s legal troubles, publishing only a single online story in December 2022 titled “Top Energy Department official no longer employed after luggage theft accusations.” On-air coverage was minimal, with CNN’s Jeremy Diamond briefly mentioning the case on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” During that segment, Diamond downplayed Brinton’s connection to the administration, stating, “Brinton was not a Biden appointee instead hired as a senior civil service official.”  

 

Fox News host Greg Gutfeld was among those who ridiculed Brown’s admission, calling it evidence of media bias. “If you’re a news anchor at CNN, I guess you overlooked anything that revealed the incompetence and sheer insanity of the Biden administration,” Gutfeld said. He added sarcastically, “It should be the new motto for CNN—‘We know nothing, but at least it’s transparent.’”  

 

CNN has yet to respond to questions about Brown’s comments or the network’s limited coverage of the Brinton case.  

 

Brinton’s legal troubles began in October 2022, when police charged them with stealing a suitcase worth $2,325 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. The following December, Las Vegas prosecutors charged Brinton with grand larceny after allegedly stealing a bag valued at $3,670 from Harry Reid International Airport. The suitcase contained $1,700 worth of jewelry, $850 in clothing, and $500 worth of makeup.  

 

At the time of the alleged Las Vegas theft, Brinton was on a taxpayer-funded trip to the Nevada National Security Site. Then, in February 2023, reports surfaced that a Tanzanian fashion designer, Asya Khamsin, had recognized articles of clothing Brinton was photographed wearing as pieces from her missing luggage, which had been lost in Washington, D.C., in 2018. Brinton was later arrested in connection with Khamsin’s claims but avoided jail time in all three cases.  

 

Instead of serving a sentence, Brinton entered an adult diversion program for the Minnesota charge, requiring them to complete a mental health evaluation, write an apology letter, return stolen property, and perform three days of community service. For the Las Vegas case, Brinton was ordered to pay $3,671 to the victim and $500 in additional fines. A judge handed down a 180-day suspended sentence, meaning Brinton would serve no jail time as long as they stayed out of trouble.  

 

In the Washington, D.C., case, Brinton reportedly reached a plea deal, avoiding a potential 20-year prison sentence. The Washington Free Beacon described the resolution as a “sweetheart deal” that allowed Brinton to plead guilty to petit larceny and escape incarceration.  

 

The debate over media coverage of Brinton’s case continues to fuel accusations of bias, with critics arguing that news outlets downplayed the story to protect the Biden administration. Meanwhile, Brown’s insistence that she knew nothing about the controversy has only added to the scrutiny surrounding CNN’s reporting choices.

 

Based on a report by NYP  2025-02-22

 

 

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

Brown quickly dismissed the comment, insisting she was unaware of the story. Burchett then urged her to “look up” Brinton’s background, highlighting what he viewed as the media’s failure to cover the case extensively.  

 

If all she watches is CNN, I don't doubt that she missed the story completely.  What a sad state.

CNN was one of those News services getting money from USAID. It does not surprise me that anything that could be damaging to Biden would have been given any newsworthy time or space in their service. 

Just as this woman, If she actually reads what her employer puts out as news. Should not make a difference. She should be fired simply for not investigating things relevant or comparative to her story. 

On 2/21/2025 at 2:03 PM, Social Media said:

“It should be the new motto for CNN—‘We know nothing, but at least it’s transparent.’”  

Good this comes up just when democrats are questioning if Trumps caBinet picks.... it gets better and better each day....

som nom nah!!