Gov. Kathy Hochul was “furious” after learning that one of her former aides acted as a suspected Chinese spy in her office and within state government.
“I am furious, outraged and absolutely shocked by the brazenness of his behavior,” Hochul told WNYC’s Sean Carlson Tuesday afternoon, referring to Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff accused of acting as a foreign agent for China.
“It was a betrayal of trust,” she continued.
“We have worked with the Department of Justice on this investigation and will continue to ensure that all available information is revealed and justice is served,” she said.
Hochul made the remarks shortly after Sun, 41, and her 40-year-old husband, Chris Hu, pleaded not guilty to charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, smuggling and money laundering.
The indictment alleges that Sun used her position to help her husband’s shady medical equipment business profit from the pandemic response. It also alleges that she directly tried to influence the state’s relations with China in exchange for lavish gifts.
Sun was first hired by Cuomo’s administration in 2012 and has served in several different roles. She was hired by Hochul as his deputy chief of staff in 2021 after she took over as governor following Cuomo’s resignation.
Hochul was quick to distance himself from the mid-level staffer after Sun and Hu were arrested Tuesday morning.
“This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber over a decade ago. We terminated his employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported his actions to law enforcement, and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process,” a spokesperson for Hochul wrote in a statement earlier Tuesday.
Cuomo has also remained relatively silent, even taking the opportunity to pin the blame on Hochul.
“National security is paramount and must be free from foreign influence,” Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi wrote in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“Although Ms. Sun was promoted to deputy chief of staff in the next administration, she worked in a handful of agencies during our tenure and was one of many community liaisons who had little or no interaction with the governor.”
New York Post
