A former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul was indicted in a Brooklyn federal court and charged with being a spy for China, as revealed in court documents unsealed on Tuesday. Linda Sun is accused of manipulating government statements and policies in exchange for lavish gifts, such as a house on Long Island, a condo in Hawaii, a Ferrari, duck dishes cooked by the personal chef for the Chinese Consul General and concert tickets. Sun’s husband, Christopher Hu, also faces charges of money laundering for processing the funds allegedly used to buy their Manhasset home. ABC News correspondent Aaron Katersky appeared on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program to break down the charges against the couple.
“This was an incredible scheme, as laid out by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn,” Katersky told Berman and Riedel. “If true, I think [this] represents a brazen attempt by China to manipulate government and influence policy, and they’ve been doing this at all levels, not just in Washington or with the State Department but, as alleged, with New York State government by sending Linda Sun, whose been working on the state payroll for more than a decade, to basically do their bidding.”
Katersky explained how Sun would make subtle adjustments in her work to put Chinese concerns in a more favorable light. “She would tweak official remarks to try and remove references to Taiwan or to the Uyghurs, the ethnic Muslim group that China’s been accused of targeting for genocide. She would try to arrange certain meetings for Chinese officials [or] block Taiwanese officials, and all of this in exchange, allegedly, for millions of dollars in kickbacks that her husband’s accused of laundering so they could buy the $3.5 million house in Manhasset.”