House Republicans ask Nvidia CEO to brief Congress on ties to alleged Chinese spy
Chairs Brian Mast, John Moolenaar and Rick Crawford seek a Nov. 18 meeting with Jensen Huang, while Nvidia says his contacts were routine business.
Three Republican House committee chairs asked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to give a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18. Reps. Brian Mast of Florida (Foreign Affairs), John Moolenaar of Michigan (China Select Committee) and Rick Crawford of Arkansas (Intelligence) signed a letter dated Nov. 4 and released Thursday. They want to hear about Nvidia's “security protocols against foreign adversary espionage” and about his dealings with Alice Huang, a businesswoman and former executive of Singapore-based Megaspeed, which buys AI chips from Nvidia.
The New York Times reported that US authorities were investigating her. Reports say US intelligence officials suspected her of passing information to Beijing. The letter says the reports raise “significant national security concerns.”
Nvidia did not comment on the letter. The company says meeting customers is part of a CEO's job and that its regional cloud customers get only ordinary business information, with nothing relevant to national security. The Chinese government has called the allegations “groundless speculation,” according to Axios.
Megaspeed says it complies with applicable laws. The spying allegations remain publicly unproven, RedState says.
- November 18date of the requested closed-door briefingHuffPost
- November 11deadline the letter sets for confirmation or an alternative date, per RedStateRedState
- at least three countriescountries where officials had concerns about Alice Huang, per the WSJ as reported by AxiosAxios
- thousands of customer executives every yearhow many executives Huang talks with, per NvidiaHuffPost
Three sides of the story
5 news outlets reported this
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Liberal3 outlets
Growing scrutiny of Huang and Nvidia in Washington
HuffPost runs a Reuters wire report that opens with top House Republicans asking Huang for a closed-door briefing on November 18. It carries Nvidia's reply that Huang talks with “thousands of customer executives every year” and that cloud customers in Asia get ordinary business information. Axios calls the request an escalation of scrutiny and recaps earlier reporting: The New York Times said Trump was briefed by intelligence officials and chose not to act, while The Journal said that officials from at least three countries were concerned Alice Huang was feeding information to Beijing's government.
Semafor, under the headline “Nvidia faces a more hostile Washington,” sets the request in a wider frame: Huang's closeness to Trump is “unlikely to inoculate” the company, since Democrats are set to gain control of regulatory committees and prominent Republicans want tougher export controls. It names Sen. Elizabeth Warren, likely the next chair of Banking, as long wanting Huang to testify, and notes that spokesman John Rizzo gave no direct reply on whether Huang would attend.
Center1 outlet
Top GOP lawmakers want Nvidia's CEO in Congress
The Hill reports that Republican Reps. John Moolenaar, Brian Mast and Rick Crawford wrote to Huang on Wednesday, after reports, as The Hill puts it, that he sent intelligence to China. They want him at a shared private session on Nov. 18 about Nvidia's security protocols against foreign adversaries.
Conservative1 outlet
GOP chairmen want answers on alleged Chinese spy
RedState's headline says chairmen “want answers” after an “Alleged Chinese Spy Plot.” It opens with the three chairmen asking Huang for a closed-door briefing and quotes from their letter, which it says asks for confirmation or an alternative date by November 11. It embeds a tweet calling Alice Huang “an alleged CHINESE ASSET.”
RedState quotes Trump saying “I have a lot of respect for Jensen” and that he did not know about “the specific thing.” It says Trump wants Huang to stay on as adviser unless contrary information emerges. It gives Nvidia's defenses, taken from statements to CNBC and The Telegraph, and notes that Megaspeed denies wrongdoing.
It states that the intelligence allegations “remain publicly unproven” and, per Ars Technica, sources were unable to say what Alice Huang may have conveyed to Beijing.
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All sources: 5 articles from 5 outlets
Liberal (3)
- Axios: Nvidia CEO called in by lawmakers over ties to alleged Chinese spy
- HuffPost: Key Republicans Seek Briefing From Nvidia CEO Over Chinese Spy Allegations, Letter Says
- Semafor: Nvidia faces a more hostile Washington
Center (1)
Conservative (1)
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