Global is local in Chinese influence case against LI'er
Linda Sun, right, and her husband Christopher Hu leave Brooklyn Federal Court after their arraignment Tuesday. Credit: AP/Corey Sipkin
For the past few years, the Justice Department has brought and prosecuted a number of New York-based cases that allege illegal activities directed by and carried out for the People’s Republic of China.
The various defendants in those cases peddled electric-vehicle trade secrets; policed, stalked and harassed expatriate critics of the regime; and acted as agents for a foreign government without the legally required registration, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District.
The context is that U.S.-China relations are at a low point. There is friction over control of Taiwan and the South China Sea. High-tech espionage is a hot-button issue, as are concerns over China’s harsh subjugation of its Uyghur minority.
Suddenly, the latest case in this series hits home on Long Island.
Defendant Linda Sun, 41, allegedly used her role as a state official to benefit China’s government in exchange for payoffs. Since Albany has no real foreign policy, at least that anyone is aware of, some of the favors she’s charged with seem trivial. But in different communities, different gestures and symbols are important.
Sun is said to have kept Taiwanese officials from any outreach to the executive chamber and from meeting Gov. Kathy Hochul, and excised mentions of Taiwan from communications such as news releases. She boasted about this in texts to her contacts, the indictment says.
Sun was hired by the Cuomo administration in 2012 as director of Asian American affairs. She’d earlier been chief of staff to Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of Queens when Meng was in the state Assembly. For the next decade, Sun held various state jobs. After succeeding Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in 2021, Hochul named Sun deputy chief of staff.
She lives with her husband and codefendant, businessman Chris Hu, 40, in a multimillion-dollar home in Manhasset. They also reportedly have a $1.9 million condo in Hawaii and luxury cars, including a 2024 Ferrari. The indictment says Hu got Communist Party help for his business activities in China.
When doing their jobs fairly, community liaisons like Sun serve as eyes and ears for elected officials. They report on local alliances and rivalries and explore what civic help is needed.
Even the Hochul officials who got Sun dismissed last year sound genuinely shocked and puzzled by the federal charges. According to well-placed sources, Sun took it badly when she was sent from the chief of staff’s office to the Department of Labor. After her transfer, it was learned that Sun was getting unauthorized "proclamations" printed up for individuals, which was not her job. The indictment says she falsely denied it when first asked by the state inspector general’s office.
"Linda was a bit of an acquired taste," said a diplomatic former colleague. "She was difficult to work with." The colleague said her secret role might now explain why she objected to leaving the chief of staff's office.
Sometimes, however, these prosecutions sputter and vanish. Former NYPD officer Baimadajie Angwang, also of Nassau County, was charged with spying for China — before the charges were dropped last year without explanation.
That’s why statements from supporters like State Sen. John Liu (D-Flushing) can’t be dismissed outright. He said: "I’ve worked with Linda Sun for many years and have only known her to be diligent, professional and conscientious, and she is absolutely innocent until proven guilty."
From Albany to Washington and parts of Asia, the political world will be watching this one well past Election Day.
Columnist Dan Janison's opinions are his own.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.