The FBI says the Chinese government tapped a retired state agent to dig up—or manufacture—a scandal that would take down an activist running for Congress on Long Island.
Yan first came under Chinese surveillance last September, around the time he announced his intention to run for Congress in New York in 2022, the filing says, noting that the primary is set for June.
“The comment from Lin regarding the Pianist suggested the derogatory information regarding the Pianist may have been manufactured,” the affidavit explains. If he came through with the goods, Lin said the PI would receive “support… from some rich people,” according to the affidavit.“You go find a girl for him, see if he would take the bait,” Lin continued, the affidavit says. Before they hung up, Lin allegedly told the PI he would pay him for his work during a trip to the U.S. after the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.
“You can start thinking now, aside from violence, what other plans are there? Huh?” he said, according to the affidavit. “But in the end, violence would be fine too. Huh? Beat him, beat him until he cannot run for election. Heh, that’s the last resort. You think about it. Car accident, [he] will be completely wrecked, right? ... Or, on the day of the election, he cannot make it there himself, right? The conclusion is, you think of a plan.
“Because the Communist Party, as you know, so many things,” said Lin. “It’s not just one person who can call the shots.”