House Democrats target Lutnick in NVIDIA spy probe
Leaders plan to examine Commerce Secretary's handling of classified warnings regarding the resignation of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang.
By Pedro Tanaka ·
Top House Democrats announced plans to investigate Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick following the departure of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. The push comes as Huang resigned this week after reports surfaced that he maintained a relationship with Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed who U.S. intelligence suspects is a Chinese spy.
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., stated that an investigation is necessary because Lutnick allegedly received a classified memo warning him about the relationship. Lieu described the situation as completely unacceptable and said the Commerce Secretary failed to take action despite being briefed. He expects to become chairman of the House Democratic Caucus when Democrats regain control of the chamber in January.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., supported the call for scrutiny. Khanna, a vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said lawmakers need to understand what administration officials knew. He noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was aware of the suspected spy and was later invited on a China trip. Khanna said the administration needs to provide transparency on these matters.
Lutnick and Rubio did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations. Neither cabinet secretary has been formally accused or indicted of wrongdoing in connection with the NVIDIA case. The Democratic lawmakers did not specify how they would prosecute or remove the officials if their investigation proceeds.
House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not respond to questions about whether he discussed the potential actions with his caucus members. Jeffries is currently running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for Speaker of the House.
On the Republican side, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., welcomed Huang's resignation. Moolenaar announced that the former CEO agreed to brief congressional committees on the scandal. He urged Congress to pass bipartisan export control legislation in the year-end national defense bill.
Moolenaar stated that companies like NVIDIA must never jeopardize national security by giving Chinese firms access to advanced chips. He called on the industry to change its corporate practices and appoint leadership that makes national security its top priority.
