SLATER DEMANDS ACTION AFTER NEW CCP INFILTRATION REVELATIONS, RENEWS CALL FOR PASSAGE OF BILL TO ROOT OUT FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN NEW YORK GOVERNMENT

Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C–Yorktown) is calling for urgent action following new reports that detail how former top state official Linda Sun allegedly acted as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to manipulate state leadership and leverage her government position for the benefit of a foreign power. Slater said the revelations reaffirm the critical need for his legislation, A.7914, proposing the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate foreign influence operations targeting New York’s government and elections.

“The recent New York Post exposé shows the extraordinary lengths the CCP is willing to go to infiltrate our state government,” Slater said. 

He warned this scandal is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern of foreign governments exploiting weaknesses in state-level oversight. Even before the Sun case broke open, investigations and reporting, including a New York Times analysis of Chinese-linked nonprofits illegally spending on behalf of candidates, made clear that foreign actors are aggressively seeking to influence New York’s political system. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors have indicted senior officials, including the New York City mayor, for alleged acceptance of illegal foreign contributions and bribes.

“This goes beyond corruption; this is a national security failure happening in our own backyard,” Slater continued. “I’ve been harping on this since before the scandal broke. When senior officials can be bought, coached or coerced by foreign governments, when they serve the interests of Beijing or Ankara instead of the people of New York, that is a fundamental betrayal of our democracy. That’s why I’m teaming up with Sen. Jake Ashby on A.7914, which would establish a commission to investigate foreign influence in state government.”

“This kind of corruption exposes the realities that some of our state leaders are clearly not acting in the best interest of New Yorkers,” Slater said. “We cannot allow foreign governments to manipulate our politics and undermine our democratic processes.”

Slater urged immediate consideration of his bill when the Legislature reconvenes in January, stressing that every day without action leaves New York exposed to continued foreign interference.