A Chinese spy mystery swirls in the Empire State

From: POLITICO New York Playbook PM - Friday Mar 18,2022 08:57 pm

Mar 18, 2022

Presented by CWA District 1

It wasn’t just a longshot Democratic congressional candidate from Brooklyn who was among the victims of a Chinese government intimidation campaign – a sitting New York state lawmaker was also targeted in the clandestine effort, according to federal prosecutors.

The Justice Department charged five members of the Chinese secret police with allegedly harassing Chinese dissidents across the U.S — from an activist artist in Southern California to Xiong Yan, a Brooklyn resident running in the Democratic primary for New York’s 1st Congressional district.

The victims were targeted for their pro-democracy views, writes our senior legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein. The complaint says China’s Qiming Lin hired a private eye to dig up dirt on Yan, who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. If the opposition research didn’t work, there was a plan to “beat him until he cannot run for election,” Lin allegedly said.

The other Lin mark beyond the wannabe politician was buried in one of the federal complaints and hasn't previously been reported. “We will have a lot more of this in the future … Including right now [a] New York state legislator,” Lin said in a recorded conversation with the private investigator in November, according to court papers.

“[T]here are uh some-some uh, who speak negatively about China…The people who always speak up, you need to pay attention to them,” Lin says.

A footnote to the court papers notes that “the name of the specified New York State legislator was inaudible.”

There are just a handful of Asian American lawmakers in the state. Multiple sources identified three who could be possible targets given their ties to the local Taiwanese community as well as their outspoken leadership.

They are Assembly members Ron Kim (D-Queens) and Yuh-Line Niou (D-Manhattan) and Senator John Liu (D-Queens). Kim is Korean-American but has close relationships with the Taiwanese community he represents in Flushing and both Niou and Liu are Taiwanese American.

None of the three are particularly active in international affairs but they’re strong advocates for democratic principles and aren’t afraid to speak out against the government – though they’ve focused their ire mainly on scandal-scarred former Gov. Andrew Cuomo not Chinese President Xi Jingping.

“I have not been interviewed by the feds on this matter,” Kim told POLITICO. Niou said she was unaware of the investigation. And Liu did not return messages.

Three of the Chinese agents were arrested and were released or planned to be released on bonds ranging from $500,000 to $1 million. They’re under electronic monitoring and travel restrictions. Two including Lin remain at large in China. A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment.

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TGIF: We’re back with your afternoon check-in on the day’s events in New York government and politics. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.

FROM CITY HALL

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: There’s new blood at the helm of the NYPD, but that didn’t stop City Council members from raising long-standing concerns with how their districts are policed during a lengthy public safety hearing today.

One of the more pointed exchanges during the three-plus hours the committee grilled police brass took place when long-time politician Charles Barron voiced frustrations with what he considers excessive force and an inflated agency budget. Barron, who represents higher-crime neighborhoods in Eastern Brooklyn, laced into Mayor Eric Adams’ plan to reinstate a street unit designed to root out illegal handguns.

“I’ve heard this rhetoric for over two decades from commissioners, from mayors, on how we’re going to police our way out of crime,” Barron said during the virtual budget hearing, calling the agency’s use of overtime “abusive” and driven by greed rather than an effort to keep the city safe.

“The answer to crime is not more policing,” he added, calling for more job training and social services.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, the first Black woman to hold the job, took exception to Barron accusing her of “manipulat[ing] the emotions of the public” following the line-of-duty deaths of two police officers in January.

“In no way are we manipulating the emotions of people because our officers were murdered or on the deaths of children,” she said.

From the Capitol

IG SAYS HAPPY SUNSHINE WEEK: State Inspector General Lucy Lang announced she's released five additional “historical letters” from a trove of more than 250 that show results of various complaints and investigations over the past decade. They’re all available on the public information page of the IG’s website.

The new letters include a 2017 one about Catskill Regional Offtrack Betting Corporation; a 2020 probe regarding a construction contractor with the state who may have abused his authority, internal 2021 findings that staff used eJusticeNY for non-work purposes, a 2020 probe into NYS DHSES use of meal per-diems and complaints a forest ranger misused his state vehicle for personal reasons “for years.” — Anna Gronewold

MORE FUNDING TO STOP OVERDOSES: Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $1 million in funding for up to five Opioid Treatment Program Providers (or as much as $200,000 a piece in one-time awards) to establish new locations in underserved areas.

The funds can be used for building repairs and renovations, medical supplies and equipment. They will be provided through the Federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Supplemental award and administered through the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports. — Shannon Young

The Campaign Trail

WILLIAMS ROLLS OUT HOUSING PLAN: Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who’s challenging Hochul from the left in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, announced his “Housing for All” policy plan today. The plan calls for more state funding for housing subsidies, terminating public land sales to for-profit developers and restoring the Empire State Development Corp. to build more affordable housing.

“For too long, we’ve let profit-motivated private developers dictate the New York Housing market,” Williams said during a Manhattan press conference unveiling the proposal. “It’s time to put people in control of where they live.”

He added that “wasteful development subsidies” allowed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Hochul to build luxury developments while tens of thousands of New Yorkers are dealing with housing problems or are out on the streets. He claims his plans provides for 1 million housing units for middle and working class people over a decade, compared to the 100,000 new units Hochul has promised to build within five years.

Ana María Archila, who’s running alongside Williams as lieutenant governor, referred to Hochul’s 100,000-unit plan as one of the governor’s “tiny solutions for big problems.” Williams and his running mate were joined by City Comptroller Brad Lander for the announcement that was held at the Hudson Yards, which was developed by billionaire Stephen Ross, who has donated close to $5 million to Hochul’s reelection campaign.

During the press conference, Williams also spoke to Hochul’s plan to make changes to the state’s controversial bail reform laws. “I’m asking the governor not to feed the fear,” Williams said. “Have the courage to stand up to present a public safety plan that we don’t have to apologize for 40 years later.” — Deanna Garcia

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ON THE BEATS

HEALTH CARE: More than 100 independent pharmacists gathered outside the governor’s New York City office today to again call for “Fee-for-Service Parity” legislation (NY S7909)/(NY A9165), which would, among other things, require Medicaid managed care plans to reimburse retail pharmacies in an amount equal to the fee-for-service rate, to be included in the final state budget due later this month.

“Year after year, we’re promised support by our state elected leaders, and year after year we are frozen out. Enough is enough,” Tom D’Angelo, the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York chairperson, said in a statement. “We’re demanding that Gov. Hochul not turn her back on low-income New Yorkers, and keep her commitment to saving thousands of community pharmacies in this year’s budget.”

150-plus home care workers, state lawmakers and others also rallied in support of including “Fair Pay for Home Care'' legislation in the final spending bill. — Shannon Young.

COVID-19: New York City will continue to evaluate data before the Adams administration makes a decision around masking rules for children under 5 and the private employer vaccine mandate, City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said in his first press briefing at agency headquarters in Queens today. The city is in a "low-risk environment," according to Adams' color-coordinated Covid-19 alert system, but the administration isn't ready to make any policy changes, Vasan said.

"Our mandates have been among the most important lifesaving policies that we've put into place throughout this pandemic, and it's helped us build up a wall of immunity, a bulwark against whatever this virus does to change or throw at us in the future," Vasan said at the city health department.

The briefing is the first since Vasan took over as city health commissioner on Tuesday, replacing Dave Chokshi who served in that role for the bulk of the pandemic.

There has been a small, vocal opposition to various mandates throughout the pandemic, mostly implemented by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, that included proof of vaccination for indoor activities like eating inside restaurants or going to the gym, as well as a mandate for municipal workers to get vaccinated.

A private employer mandate, which has affected athletes like Nets' star Kyrie Irving, and mask mandates for children under the age of 5 — who are unable to receive the vaccine — are the latest target of accusations of government overreach. —Amanda Eisenberg

EDUCATION: Children of color constitute 90 percent of the youth population in communities where obstacles to childhood development are more pervasive, according to a new report by the nonprofit Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York released today. The group examined the barriers children face citywide to get the skills they need to be ready for kindergarten. The group urged state lawmakers to ensure communities have access to necessary resources as they work on wrapping up the budget.

“As the state and city continue on the path to a more equitable recovery, attention must focus squarely on the families and communities hit hardest by the pandemic,” Jennifer March, CCC’s executive director, said in a statement.

March proposed solutions such as coming up with a birth-to-five early care and education system and boosting access to the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits to tackle childhood poverty. She also called for enhancing Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education Programs. — Madina Touré

AROUND NEW YORK

— Former state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker reflected on New York’s early Covid response in a recent Medium.com post. And he offered some key takeaways: “Firstly, a firewall between public health and politics must exist” and “secondly, the public must trust our experts.”

— A federal labor board is attempting to bring back a Staten Island Amazon employee who was fired during the beginning of the pandemic after leading a protest calling for more Covid protections for employees.

— New York has issued the lowest rate of drug violations in horse racing compared to other states.

— As mental health needs increased throughout the pandemic, a new clinic for children opened in Kenmore.

— Don’t forget to look up in the sky tonight at the last full winter moon .

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