Foreign governments are increasing their attempts to influence US officials. Here are some recent examples.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday accused Russia of a sprawling effort to “engage in a covert campaign to interfere and influence the outcome of our country’s elections” and said the Justice Department has “observed increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle.”

And it's not just voters U.S. officials have been worried about outside actors influencing recently. In cases involving other countries, it’s been government officials that foreign governments have been accused of attempting to sway. This year alone, at least four high-profile U.S. officials were at the center of federal investigations into their relationships with foreign governments.

Here are a few of the standout scandals:

Linda Sun and China

A former top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and her predecessor Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Linda Sun was arrested Tuesday for allegedly acting as a Chinese government agent to sway state policy toward China and Taiwan, according to a federal indictment.

Sun, who served as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, received luxury gifts from the Chinese government including two seven-figure homes, a Ferrari and a Range Rover, according to the indictment. In exchange, prosecutors allege, Sun used her influence for China’s benefit, such as blocking Taiwanese officials from gaining access to the governor’s office.

Hochul fired Sun in March 2023 “after discovering evidence of misconduct,” according to state spokesperson Avi Small. She was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, money laundering and alien smuggling, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Eric Adams and Turkey

A federal probe into New York Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign has led to a series of dramatic raids of his aides’ homes and the seizure of the mayor’s phone and iPad. Last month, authorities subpoenaed Adams , City Hall and his election committee.

And Turkey is at the center.

Federal investigators are looking into whether a construction company with ties to both the Turkish government and several Adams donors funneled money into the campaign . The probe is focused on whether the Turkish government or Turkish nationals gave money through a so-called straw donor scheme, The New York Times reported .

Three of Adams’ aides’ homes have been raided by the FBI: Brianna Suggs , his chief fundraiser; Rana Abbasova , Adams’ liaison to the city’s Turkish and Azerbaijani communities; and Winnie Greco , his liaison to its Chinese diaspora.

Neither Adams, nor anyone currently or formerly working for him, have been accused of wrongdoing.

Bob Menendez and Egypt

Former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez resigned last month after being found guilty of all 16 counts in a sprawling corruption trial that hinged on his acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, effectively ending a decades-long career in government.

Menendez, who headed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, allegedly received cash, gold and luxury cars in exchange for favors to the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Immediately after he was found guilty in July, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Menendez to step down.

He will be sentenced in late October, and faces decades in prison.

Henry Cuellar and Azerbaijan and Mexico

Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting bribes from an Azerbaijani government-owned oil and gas company and a Mexican bank, according to a federal indictment unsealed in May.

Prosecutors allege that between December 2014 and November 2021, the lawmaker agreed to give preferential foreign policy treatment to Azerbaijan and influence executive branch officials to help the Mexico City bank, in exchange for payments Cuellar and his wife allegedly laundered through front companies.

Cuellar formerly served as co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.

Cuellar, who maintains his innocence, has served in Congress since 2005 and is running for reelection. His trial was delayed and will occur after Election Day.