Linda Sun, the former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul who was recently arrested and accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, had touted “equity” policies in her position, a newly-resurfaced video from 2021 shows.
Linda Sun, 40, and her husband, Chris Hu, 41, were arrested on Tuesday. Sun was charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy.
The resurfaced video, which was a “Women in Government Leadership Webinar” presented by the New York chapter of the nonprofit Tzu Chi Foundation, was recorded on Dec. 16, 2021. At the time, Sun served as deputy chief of staff to Hochul.
“When people say diversity and inclusion, I think everybody agrees, or most people generally agree, that it’s a good thing,” Sun said in the video. “But I think right now we also need to bring in the word equity.”
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Linda Sun emphasized the importance of “diversity and inclusion and equity” in a 2021 webinar. (@NewYorkTzu-Chi via YouTube)
The official added that equity was “one way to make sure that all of the people who are at the table have equal access to making sure that their ideas and their thoughts are heard.”
“And unfortunately…we don’t have that much leadership or representation of Asian Americans in, you know, the corporate world, the government field,” Sun added.
Later in the webinar, Sun seemed to reference a 2018 executive order signed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo that made “diversity and inclusion and equity a top priority.”
“It’s basically making sure that there is one person at every single state agency that answers directly to the commissioner, or the highest person in that particular agency, that makes diversity and inclusion and equity a top priority,” Sun said in the video.
Sun explained that if there are 10 candidates for a job position, “there should be at least five people in that pool who also happen to be diverse candidates.”
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Linda Sun, a former aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul, left, is charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. A photo of her, right, taken from the indictment document shows her at a 2023 event hosted by the People’s Republic of China Consulate in New York.
Prosecutors from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office believe that Sun acted on behalf of the Chinese government on a number of occasions, including by seeking a high-level state visit to China, and preventing representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting with American officials.
Chinese officials allegedly arranged for millions of dollars in transactions for Hu, who conducted business in China. Hu and Sun are accused of using the money to buy property in Long Island, New York, and Honolulu worth more than $6 million, in addition to a 2024 Ferrari Roma sports car.
In 2023, Sun was fired from her position after “evidence of misconduct” was discovered.
“This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago,” Hochul press secretary Avi Small said in a statement on Tuesday. “We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement, and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process.”
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This is an aerial view of the Saxony Court, home in Manhasset, New York belonging to Chris Hu and Linda Sun on July 24, 2024. Sun is the former deputy chief of staff for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The FBI searched the home on July 23, 2024. ( J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)
On Tuesday night, Sun’s attorney Jarrod Schaeffer told Fox News Digital that he and Sun are “troubled by aspects of the government’s investigation.”
“We are disappointed by the filing of these charges, which are inflammatory and appear to be the product of an overly aggressive prosecution,” Schaeffer said. “As we said today in court, our client is eager to exercise her right to a speedy trial and to defend against these accusations in the proper forum – a court of law.”
Fox News Digital reached out Hochul’s office for comment.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and David Spunt contributed to this report.