Samuel Brinton’s family pushed back against President Joe Biden’s former non-binary nuclear waste guru’s accusations that they were abused and forced into conversion therapy.
Brinton, 35, previously alleged they were admitted into the emergency room several times after their Baptist missionary parents abused them after coming out at 11-years-old.
Their sister Rachel Brinton has since called the claims a ‘lie’ after their mother Peggy Jo previously told DailyMail.com last year when their accusations came to light that the family’s issues with Samuel being non-binary was ‘in the past.’
‘There’s no validity to those claim,’ Rachel told The New York Post. ‘First of all, the claims of conversion therapy never happened, nor did my parents abuse my brother or I. My parents and I have always known the truth but we don’t preach to people what the truth is. It’s disheartening because my parents are still being slandered for the past decade because some people believed Samuel’s words.’
The non-binary former official is currently on trial after allegedly stealing a woman’s suitcase at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on September 16. The items inside were appraised at $2,325.
Samuel Brinton’s family pushed back against accusations that the 35-year-old was abused and forced into conversion therapy
Non-binary Brinton, 34, has previously told of their troubled relationship with their Southern Baptist parents Peggy Jo and Stephen Brinton, both 57 – describing how they were forced to take part in conversion therapy and had a gun held to their head as a teen. The allegations have since been debunked
Samuel came forward with the abuse accusation in 2018 in a New York Times opinion piece describing the ‘torture’ by Peggy Jo and her husband Stephen Brinton.
‘My parents were Southern Baptist missionaries who believed that the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy could “cure” my sexuality,’ Samuel wrote.
‘For over two years, I sat on a couch and endured emotionally painful sessions with a counselor. I was told that my faith community rejected my sexuality; that I was the abomination we had heard about in Sunday school; that I was the only gay person in the world; that it was inevitable I would get H.I.V. and AIDS.’
Samuel also told of how their mother found them standing on the roof and told them she would love him again if he just changed.
‘[That] is not the thing to say to a person standing on the edge of a building,’ they said. ‘So I run back into my mom’s arms saying: “You know what? I’m changed! It’s done. Epiphany from God.”‘
Peggy Jo also debunked the claims alleging she never sent Samuel to conversion therapy and there are no records of them being admitted to the hospital.
‘I’ve never signed him up to have any conversion therapy and that’s pretty much the only comment I can give on that because he needs to tell his own story,’ Peggy Jo told The Post.
‘We did not abuse him. If he had been in an emergency room at any time, there would be records… and there are none.’
Samuel hasn’t identified the name of the therapist or agency they were forced to see when they were younger.
The allegations have led a rift in Samuel and their younger brother Daniel’s relationship, Rachel told the news outlet.
Brinton, 35, previously alleged they were admitted into the emergency room several times after their Baptist missionary parents abused them after coming out at 11-years-old. Pictured: Sam Brinton
Peggy Jo debunked the claims alleging she never sent Samuel to conversion therapy and there are no records of them being admitted to the hospital. Pictured: Peggy Jo outside her home in 2022
Samuel’s parents were in contact with him last year despite refusing to attend their 2019 wedding to husband Kevin Rieck (pictured)
Samuel, who is the first non-binary person to serve in the deputy assistant secretary role, grew up in Sanford, Florida and Perry, Iowa.
The local police department where the Brinton’s raised their kids also claimed their were no former complaints about domestic dispute at the family home, according to the news outlet.
While Peggy Jo claimed last year to DailyMail.com that she was proud of Samuel and their disputes were in the past, she refused to attend their 2019 wedding to husband Kevin Rieck.
The nuclear waste guru left their position on the Biden administration in December after footage showed them stealing a woman’s suitcase from the American Airlines baggage claim arriving to Minnesota from Washington DC.
It’s unclear if Brinton resigned of their own accord, if they were fired – or if they were given the chance to resign before being fired.
The White House has repeatedly refused to comment on the scandal, claiming it is a non-political issue.
In October 2022, Sam Brinton was accused of stealing a woman’s Vera Bradley suitcase on September 16 at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport from a baggage carousel
Sam Brinton dodged reporter’s questions as they left court in Minneapolis on Wednesday
When Samuel returned to the nation’s capital two days later, they checked the bag as if it was theirs. The nuclear scientist then used the bag on a trip to Europe in October.
Samuel was contacted by investigators and lied initially saying they had not taken the bag. They later admitted to the crime but claimed it was an accident.
They also said that they had left the woman’s clothing in a hotel room in St. Paul, however it was never recovered.
In a separate incident, Samuel is accused of stealing a different woman’s luggage from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
They appeared in court in December on those charges and was freed on a $15,000 bail.
A security footage image showed Samuel walking through Harry Reid International Airport with the luggage during the summer.
The $320 case, which was lifted from a carousel, was stuffed with more than $3,000-worth of jewelry, clothes and makeup, according to 8 News Now Investigators.
It is unclear why they targeted the suitcase or if it was because it was from a luxury brand.
