The State Department on Wednesday denied comments made by New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hawkle about the Chinese consul general in the state, CNN reported.

Hochul said the same day that China's consul general in New York, Huang Ping, had been removed from his post following the indictment of his former aide, Linda Sun. According to According to CNN, Sun, who was allegedly acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, Indicted He was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of “violating and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy.”

“The consul general was not expelled. He left his position at the end of his regular rotation in August, and it is our understanding that he was not expelled,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller explained, according to CNN. “But of course, with regards to the status of a particular employee at a foreign mission, you should inquire with that foreign country, but there was no expulsion.”

The FBI searched Sun's $3.5 million Long Island home in July, acting on a search warrant issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn. According to the indictment, Sun acted as an unidentified agent of the Chinese government, influencing government messaging on key issues and preventing Taiwanese representatives from contacting government officials.

Sun and her husband pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, The New York Times reported. ReportedThey were released on bail.

Hoekl did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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