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Congress Summons Jensen Huang and Howard Lutnick to Testify in December Over Nvidia–China Concerns
By Eleanor Ever Loyal
Photo: Peter Dasilva / European Commission (CC BY 4.0)
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott has asked former Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify before the committee in December as congressional scrutiny grows over concerns involving Nvidia, China and the protection of sensitive U.S. technology.
Scott sent letters on Thursday, November 12, requesting that Huang appear on December 3 and Lutnick testify on December 10, according to reporting by the German Press Agency, carried by multiple outlets, and VnExpress. Scott warned Huang that the committee could issue a subpoena if he did not appear voluntarily.
Lutnick has agreed to testify, a Commerce Department spokesman told NBC News, according to the reporting.
The Senate requests follow questions about Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a Singapore-based businesswoman associated with Megaspeed, a Nvidia customer. U.S. security agencies reportedly suspect that Alice Huang may have been recruited by Chinese intelligence. The Justice Department, under Attorney General Todd Blanche, is investigating whether she is a spy, according to reporting. The investigation has reached no conclusion, and the allegations have not been established. China has denied the allegations.
Scott described the national-security concerns behind the committee’s requests in a post on X accompanying the letters. “Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive U.S. technology,” he wrote, according to DPA.
The Senate inquiry is not the only congressional effort to obtain information from Huang. Three House panels — the Intelligence Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Select Committee on China — have also requested that he participate in a closed-door, transcribed interview on December 1, according to a consolidated account of the letters by The Apex Wire.
The House panels also requested an interview with Nvidia general counsel Tim Teter on December 2. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said Huang had agreed to brief lawmakers before Thanksgiving, although the timing was still being negotiated, according to The Apex Wire’s account.
The House requests are separate from the Senate Banking Committee’s scheduled testimony requests. The Senate dates of December 3 for Huang and December 10 for Lutnick are the confirmed core of the Senate committee’s request; the House dates have been reported from the panels’ letters.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren also addressed the controversy Thursday. Huang’s resignation, she said, “does not absolve him, other executives, or the company as a whole” of responsibility for potentially putting U.S. national security at risk, according to Benzinga.
Nvidia’s board has opened an independent investigation into the matter. The company has said it has no reason to believe its secrets or national security were compromised, according to AJP. Nvidia chief financial officer Colette Kress is serving as interim chief executive following Huang’s departure.
The congressional inquiries come as lawmakers seek information about the allegations and the potential implications for sensitive U.S. technology. The available reporting does not establish that Alice Huang acted on behalf of Chinese intelligence, that Nvidia information was transferred to China, or that national-security secrets were compromised.
It also does not establish the precise scope of information lawmakers intend to seek from Huang or Lutnick beyond the concerns described in the committee requests.
For now, the December appearances and requested House interviews represent separate efforts by Congress to examine the circumstances surrounding the allegations. The Senate committee has warned that Huang’s appearance could be compelled if he does not agree to testify voluntarily.
Eleanor Ever Loyal
National Desk, The Library Media
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