Former Aide to New York Gov. Hochul, Linda Sun, Charged as Chinese Agent

Linda Sun, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff, was charged with acting as an illegal agent to further the interests of The People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. 

The Details: Sun was charged Tuesday with visa fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and other crimes. She reportedly removed mentions of Taiwan from official government documents, turned down meetings with Taiwanese officials and state leaders, and provided Chinese government officials with unauthorized state proclamations. Her husband, Chris Hu, was also charged with bank fraud and money laundering.

For Context: The former aide's house was raided by the FBI near the end of July. Sun worked in state government for nearly 14 years, serving in various positions for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and then Gov. Hochul before being fired in March 2023 after officials found evidence of her misconduct and reported her to law enforcement. 

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was similar across the political spectrum, highlighting Sun's $4.1 million mansion and 2024 Ferrari as examples of the bribes. An earlier version of this summary misspelled Hochul's name.