US Congressional Members Concerned about Charges Against Former Aide to New York Governor Alleged as Chinese Agent. Some lawmakers stated that the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration into the United States must be eradicated.
The Chairman of the US House of Representatives Committee on China, Representative John Moolenaar, stated that the revelations in the case involving Sun Wen were shocking, especially since it occurred at the highest levels of the state government.
“The Chinese Communist Party is not only operating on their side of the sea (referring to within China), but they are also actively working to undermine America on our side of the sea (referring to within the US),” said Moolenaar.
In September 2024, Sun Wen was arrested on charges of acting as a foreign agent for the Chinese Communist Party and was indicted on eight federal charges, including conspiring to act as an unlawful foreign agent, visa fraud, and money laundering.
In exchange, she received millions of dollars from the CCP government to purchase luxury homes and cars. She failed to disclose this income as required of government employees and did not register as a foreign agent.
According to the indictment, Sun Wen leveraged her position to alter the two governors’ “views on the People’s Republic of China and the CCP,” reduced or blocked interactions between the governors’ offices and Taiwanese government representatives, provided unauthorized invitations from the governors’ offices, making it easier for Chinese government officials to obtain visas and travel to the US, and attempted to arrange visits to China for top officials in New York state. She also interfered and removed content from the governors’ speeches addressing Beijing’s persecution of Uighurs.
New York Representative Nicole Malliotakis, in an interview with Fox News, stated that this incident demonstrates the extent to which communist China monitors and influences US policy.
She remarked that the facts exposed in the charges against Sun Wen are “serious and disturbing.”
“Whether it’s infiltrating American universities, setting up police stations to monitor Chinese-American dissidents fleeing the CCP, buying American farmland, or releasing spy balloons over our military bases, these actions must be resolutely and urgently addressed, not met with weakness and appeasement,” she emphasized.
Texas Representative Brian Babin posted on social media platform X, saying, “The CCP is infiltrating America like a deep-rooted cancer. It must be eradicated.”
The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal published an article on Thursday stating that if there are still US officials unaware of Beijing’s influence operations, they should read the indictment of Sun Wen released this week.
“The details in the indictment are shocking. During her time in Albany, Sun Wen maintained close contact with the Beijing consulate, including her efforts to prevent Taiwan from contacting state leaders.”
“The information we provide to Albany and other state capitals is a warning against the ‘gifts’ sent by the Chinese (CCP),” the editorial board’s article stated.