Former aide to governor charged with acting as a foreign agent

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)– Elected officials are reacting to news that a former state aide is charged with being an undisclosed agent for China.

The indictment against Linda Sun said she worked for New York State from 2012 to 2023, originally under the Cuomo Administration and most recently Governor Kathy Hochul.

Hochul addressed the news during an interview and press conference on Wednesday.

“This is a betrayal of New Yorkers and to the American People,” said the governor.

Hochul noted that Sun served her administration for 15 months, was fired in March of 2023 for misconduct, and never had access to security information.

“The indictment lays out very clearly evidence that these actions taken by Linda Sun were an absolute betrayal of the trust of two administrations in state government,” said Hochul. “Lying and misleading towards these administrations, breaking our ethics rules and even forging my signature on documents.”

According to the indictment, Sun blocked representatives of the Taiwanese Government from having access to the New York State Governor’s office. She is also accused of shaping Hochul’s remarks in a Lunar New Year message when she was Lieutenant Governor.

Sun’s husband Chris Hu, also named in the indictment, is accused of working with her to launder millions in kickbacks for their efforts.

On Wednesday, Hochul asked about Sun during a fireside chat.

“She was doing more proclamations and outreach to the community,” said Hochul. “She had no access to documentation or security information at all— cyber security. So, there was a limit to it, but on the other hand, it never should have happened.”

In a statement, Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for former Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sun worked for a “handful of agencies and was one of many community liaisons who had little to no interaction with the governor.”

In response to the situation, Republican state Senator Jake Ashby said he’d like to see a bipartisan commission formed.

“This is not an investigation. This is a commission. We’d have industry experts from across the board along with a bipartisan partnership to come up with best practices and future policies so this can never happen again,” said Ashby.

Sun’s lawyer calls the charges inflammatory.

Sun was released on a $1.5 million bond, her husband’s was $500,000. They are not to have any contact with Chinese consulate. Both are due back in court later this month.

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