Nvidia scandal: Howard Lutnick under pressure over alleged lack of action

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US commerce secretary faces sack as warnings emerge about alleged Chinese spy’s ties to Jensen Huang and delays in adding Megaspeed to trade blacklistAnalysis: Jensen Huang built…

Former CEO Jensen Huang and US commerce secretary to appear before Congress amid bipartisan concern that America’s security was put at risk

Nvidia’s ousted CEO Jensen Huang and Donald Trump’s commerce secretary are expected to testify before Congress in the coming weeks, as the fallout from Huang’s reported affair with an alleged Chinese spy reverberated across the US, sparking bipartisan concerns for national security and calls for a tougher stance against Beijing.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Huang and Nvidia must answer as to whether America’s security had been jeopardised, adding that the Trump administration also must account for what it did once it learned about Huang’s reported relationship with Alice Huang, who is accused of spying for China.

Donald Trump’s close ties with Jensen Huang have also come under renewed scrutiny as a timeline of the saga started to emerge. The president called Jensen Huang two days before he stepped down and urged him to fight for his job, the New York Times has reported.

On Thursday, Schumer questioned what Donald Trump knew when he personally invited Jensen Huang aboard Air Force One on a state visit to Beijing earlier this year, adding: “Americans deserve to know that those at the highest levels of power are putting America first, not their bottom line or their personal friendships.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said he had demanded a classified briefing for all members of Congress about Nvidia.

The scandal has also drawn in Trump’s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, after criticism of his department’s oversight of Nvidia’s exports to China and its refusal to add dozens of Chinese companies to a key US trade blacklist.

“Secretary Lutnick has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before the banking committee to address their questions,” Kristen Eichamer, a spokesperson for Lutnick, told NBC News.

Republican Tim Scott, the Senate banking committee chair said he had sent letters asking Lutnick and Jensen…

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