Governor Kathy Hochul was outraged to learn that a former colleague of hers had worked as an alleged Chinese spy in her office and state government.
“I am angry, outraged and I am absolutely stunned by how brazen his behavior was,” Hochul told WNYC’s Sean Carlson on Tuesday afternoon, referring to Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff who was accused of working as a foreign agent for China.
“It was a betrayal,” he added.
“We are working with the Department of Justice in this investigation, and we will continue to work to ensure that whatever information is available comes to light and that justice is served,” he said.
Hochul made the remarks shortly after Sun, 41, and her husband, Chris Hu, 40, pleaded not guilty to charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, smuggling and money laundering.
The indictment alleges that Sun used her position to help her husband's questionable medical device business profit from its pandemic response. It also accuses her of trying to influence state dealings with China in exchange for lavish gifts.
Sun was first hired by Cuomo's administration in 2012 and served in several different roles. Hochul appointed her as deputy chief of staff in 2021 after she took over as governor following Cuomo's resignation.
Following the arrests of Sun and Hu on Tuesday morning, Hochul immediately distanced herself from the mid-level staffer.
“This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago. We terminated his employment in March 2023 after we found evidence of misconduct, immediately reported his actions to law enforcement, and assisted law enforcement throughout the process,” Hochul's spokesperson wrote in a statement earlier in the day on Tuesday.
Cuomo has also remained relatively quiet, even as he took the opportunity to pin the blame on Hochul.
“National security is important and must be free from foreign influence,” Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi wrote in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“While Ms. Sun was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff in subsequent administrations, during our time she worked in a few agencies and was one of several community liaison officers who had little or no contact with the Governor.”
