Hochul Aide Charged as Chinese Agent

Linda Sun, the Chinese-born former deputy chief of staff of Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY), was arrested with her husband after having been charged as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese Communist Party under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. 

Sun had earlier served as an aide to former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), including as his director of Asian-American affairs and as his chief diversity officer, before being appointed as a deputy chief of staff by Hochul in 2021. Sun was fired by Hochul in 2023 following the discovery of “evidence of misconduct.”

According to the indictment, which was unsealed Tuesday, Sun allegedly blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to the New York governor’s office, provided improper invitation letters to Chinese officials, and arranged meetings between Chinese and New York officials. Sun also allegedly changed Cuomo and Hochul’s political messaging on China issues. 

Per the indictment, during the Covid pandemic, Sun pushed for Cuomo’s office to praise the CCP for its efforts in assisting New York while ignoring Taiwan’s. In one instance, Sun apparently alerted a PRC official that New York would not publicly thank the Taiwanese government for the donation of 200,000 surgical masks, and to have also alerted a PRC official that Cuomo would publicly praise China for the donation of ventilators. The indictment also mentions that, in 2022, Sun had ordered governor Hochul’s office not to recognize “Taiwanese American Heritage Week.” 

For her efforts, Sun received remuneration from the Chinese government, as did her husband, Chris Hu, who received “millions of dollars in transactions” for his PRC-based business ventures. Hu and Sun used the proceeds to purchase a $3.6 million property in New York and a $1.9 million condominium in Honolulu, as well as various luxury automobiles.

Sun has since been released on a $1.5 million bond, and Hu on a $500,000 bond.