FOX First Report – New York Congresswoman Claudia Tenney is demanding an explanation from New York Governor Kathy Hockle regarding her former senior aide Linda Sun, who was recently indicted as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party.
Tenney wrote the Democratic governor this week questioning Sun's influence on the state's government and economy, as well as his possible ties to a secret Chinese police force that is allegedly operating in New York.
“These allegations are extremely disturbing and call into question your judgment in hiring and listening to this individual. I urge you to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate you and your administration's actions, and the overall impact of Mr. Sun's influence on New York state government and our economy,” Tenney wrote to Hawkle, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, were arrested in connection with an indictment unsealed on Tuesday in federal court in the Eastern District of New York. The indictment alleges that Sun acted as an unidentified agent of the Chinese government and used her influence as deputy chief of staff in the New York State Executive Office to covertly advance the policies of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party. Prosecutors say the scheme also allegedly included laundering millions of dollars for China and using bribes to purchase real estate and luxury vehicles, directly threatening national security.
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Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hockle, is accused of using Chinese Communist Party funds to buy $6 million worth of real estate in New York and Hawaii. (Getty Images)
In his letter, Tenney questioned Hawkle's judgment in hiring Sun. Hawkle told reporters on Wednesday that the allegations against Sun were “absolutely shocking” but that he remained “confident in our current vetting process,” which includes “very rigorous background checks.”
The lawmaker's letter said the allegations against Sun “call into question numerous policy decisions made by the administration” and asked whether “Sun had any influence on these decisions.”
“For example, there have been numerous reports that the Chinese Communist Party has opened secret police stations in New York City to surveil, intimidate and control Chinese New Yorkers, yet New York State has yet to take any significant action against these stations. Did Mr. Sun play any role in the decision to allow these stations to operate?”
Two men were arrested in New York City last year on suspicion of running a secret police station in Manhattan's Chinatown for a branch of China's Ministry of Public Security. The Justice Department said in charging documents at the time that the defendants were working together “to establish America's first overseas police station.”
In his letter, Tenney urged Hawkle to “offer sincere apologies to our partners in Taiwan for the harmful impact that Sun's actions have had on Taiwan-New York State relations,” and noted that the federal indictment alleges Sun frequently concealed anti-China and pro-Taiwan rhetoric from statements made by New York state officials, improperly used New York state resources to assist Chinese Communist Party officials in entering the United States, blocked meetings with anti-China and pro-Taiwan organizations, and used his position to obtain personal material benefits.
“While these conduct only recently came to light, the full impact of Mr. Sun's actions on New York state government and the New York economy is not yet known,” Tenney wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Haukl's office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Attorney Seth DuCharme walks in front of Linda Sun, center, an aide to former New York Gov. Kathy Hockle, and her husband, Christopher Hu, left, as they leave the Brooklyn federal courthouse after their arraignment, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Shipkin)
The governor's office said Sun, who worked in the Hoke administration and in the administration of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was fired in March 2023 for misconduct and is fully cooperating with the federal investigation.
Governor Tenney's letter asks Governor Hawke to clarify when he learned that Sun was a Chinese Communist Party operative, including whether before or after he was informed by the Department of Justice. Noting that Sun “attempted on multiple occasions to censor speech by New York State officials to align with the Chinese Communist Party's narrative,” Governor Tenney asked Governor Hawke whether he ever suspected that Sun “may have had inappropriate ties to the Chinese Communist Party.”
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Ho-chol is also being asked to provide a list of how many times, if any, he met with officials from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) or Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) during his tenure as governor and vice governor, as well as a list of how many times he met with Chinese Communist Party officials during the same period.
“Will you commit to meeting with TECO and apologizing for Mr. Sun's attempts to block an official meeting with New York state officials?” Tenney asked.
An aerial view of Chris Foo and Linda Sun's home in Manhasset, New York. (J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)
The letter asked Hochul whether he recognized “the important role that New York-Taiwan trade relations plays in our economy and the importance of maintaining strong ties with Taiwan.”
It also asks whether the governor will commit to recognizing Taiwanese American Heritage Week in 2025, whether Hawkle is aware of “the ongoing genocide of Uighurs by the Chinese Communist Party in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region,” and whether the governor regrets “not including commentary about this atrocity in the 2021 Lunar New Year video as originally intended prior to Mr. Sun's intervention.”
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Tenney also asked Hawkle what steps he has taken to ensure there are no other Chinese Communist Party operatives in his administration and who will be allowed to serve in his administration. The letter gives Hawkle a September 18 deadline for responding to Tenney's questions. Tenney also asked Hawkle to advise him of his intention to establish a commission “to investigate the impact of Mr. Sun's actions” and to provide information about his “intention to apologize to our partners in Taiwan.”
