Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia CEO on Thursday after revelations that he had an affair with a suspected Chinese spy, CNBC reports. The woman, Alice Huang, is an executive at the Singaporean technology company Megaspeed and an alleged Chinese spy, according to CNBC. Lawmakers are preparing investigations into the national security implications and Huang's ties to the Trump administration, the outlet reports.
Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott summoned Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify in December and threatened to subpoena Huang if he does not appear. A Commerce Department spokesperson said Lutnick agreed to appear voluntarily. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast told reporters Huang has agreed to appear in the coming weeks, with details still being worked out. Mast said the testimony would likely include his committee, the House intelligence panel and the House China committee, would be under oath and transcribed, and that he believed it would happen before Thanksgiving. It is not clear whether that testimony would be public.
The New York Times reported that Nvidia General Counsel Tim Teter claimed in emails to Commerce investigators that he had been in touch with Jeffrey Kessler, who leads the Bureau of Industry and Security, CNBC says. The Commerce probe into Megaspeed, which allegedly smuggled restricted chips to China, was then moved to the Justice Department.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Chris Coons asked Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to preserve documents on Nvidia's advanced AI chip exports to China. Warren, the likely incoming Banking Committee chair, said Nvidia's executives and board still owe Congress answers on export control compliance. Democrats take control of both chambers in January.
