Was Linda Sun a secret agent for China? 'This indictment is about money,' her attorneys say

And a new bill is coming in response to Monday's murders in Manhattan.

Good afternoon — it’s Wednesday and National Absurdity Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• Remember how former Hochul and Cuomo staffer Linda Sun was charged with being an agent of the Chinese government? Read why she says she’s innocent.

• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is reportedly going to play a much larger role in national elections moving forward.

• Rep. Ritchie Torres told Spectrum News how he feels about potentially running against Hochul in 2026.

• On The Bill: a new bill is expected in response to the three murders in Manhattan Monday by a homeless man suspected of mental illness.

---

🗣️ Join me for a panel discussion on the future of health care

Hey all! I’m moderating a panel tomorrow in Albany on the future of health care at CoveringNY, a conference hosted by the New York State Health Plan Association.

If you’re interested, here’s how you can register for the conference. See you there!

---

(Corey Sipkin/Associated Press)

⚖️ Why Linda Sun thinks prosecutors won’t convict her as a Chinese agent

There was a five-alarm fire in New York when Linda Sun, a former staffer for both Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, was charged with secretly acting as a foreign agent for China in September.

Republicans and anyone else who doesn’t like Hochul called it a failure of her administration to vet Sun. She was hired as deputy chief of staff in Hochul’s office after years of working in the Cuomo administration.

Hochul, at the time, defended her administration by noting that Sun had already worked in the governor’s office under Cuomo.

It was considered a massive betrayal by a worker employed at the highest level of state government.

Within days, everyone forgot about alleged Chinese agent Linda Sun. But I didn’t.

Sun now claims, through her attorneys, that she was indicted not because of her alleged actions, but because she has “too much” money and is of Chinese descent.

“This indictment is about money,” they wrote.