Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday sought to distance herself from Linda Sun, her former aide who was arrested and indicted by federal prosecutors on Tuesday for allegedly working as an agent on behalf of the Chinese government.
Sun, who held positions with Hochul and her predecessor Andrew Cuomo, was accused in a 65-page Sept. 3 indictment of advancing the agenda of the Communist party that rules the People’s Republic of China in exchange for a series of payoffs. The indictment was brought by the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York on Long Island.
Sun has held several posts over her decade in state government and was promoted to deputy chief of staff in Hochul’s administration.
The governor, during an unrelated Wednesday press conference, sharply rebuked Sun’s actions and sought to minimize the former aide’s role in her administration. She also said Sun was immediately fired last year when the administration became aware of the alleged misconduct and has been cooperating with federal prosecutors ever since.
“The indictment lays out that these actions taken by Linda Sun were an absolute betrayal of two administrations in state government,” Hochul said. “She was a mid-level aide. Hired by my predecessor. She worked here for more than a decade. And she lied to my administration. She violated our ethics rules. And as I said, the moment we discovered this she was gone.”
Hochul added that she was not in personal contact with Sun much when Sun worked in her administration and had “no real role” in policy-making. However, Hochul acknowledged working more closely with Sun when she served as lieutenant governor in the Cuomo administration, when Sun was managing relationships between the executive chamber and the Chinese government.
According to the indictment, Sun used her position in state government to promote the Chinese Communist Party while diminishing the state’s dealings with Taiwan, which China refuses to recognize as an independent state. Her alleged included authorizing invitation letters from the governor’s office to make it easier for Chinese officials to travel to the US and signing off on official proclamations honoring Chinese dignitaries in the governor’s name.
The alleged kickbacks that Sun received in return included assisting her husband—businessman Chris Hu—with securing millions of dollars worth of business deals in China, numerous deliveries of Nanjing-style salted ducks, travel benefits and tickets to swanky events. Additionally, the indictment charges that Sun and Hu used the considerable profits from the Chinese business deals to purchase a $3.6 million Long Island home and a $1.9 million Honolulu condo and a Ferrari.
Sun was charged with 10 criminal counts, including visa fraud and money laundering. Hu was also charged with money laundering.
During the governor’s press conference, she also revealed that Huang Ping, the Chinese consul general in New York, had been removed from his position.
“I’ve been informed that the counsel general is no longer in the New York mission,” Hochul said.
However, according to a subsequent report from CNN, the US State Department said Ping was not expelled, but rather left in August at the end of his contract. And a spokesperson for the Chinese Consulate told the outlet that he is still performing his job duties as usual.
