In a Feb 2. Letter to Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Deputy Inspector General Norbert Vint, the DOE employee alleged that “prohibited personnel practices” were utilized in selecting Sam Brinton for the position of deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition (NE-8) in DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy. The letter requested that OPM investigate the matter.
The employee alleged that “undue political influence and preferences were applied” at DOE to select Brinton for the position. The letter also raised concerns about Brinton’s qualifications for a position in the Senior Executive Service (SES) — the class of federal career officials who rank just below top presidential appointees in seniority.
The DOE employee complained that Brinton’s “background is limited to select advocacy work and an academic background at the graduate-degree level which together satisfy requirements for the competitive placement of a qualified GS-11 in federal career service, not a high-standing member of the SES,” the employee said.