Congress seeks briefing from Nvidia CEO over alleged Chinese spy affair
Congress is seeking a closed-door briefing from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regarding his relationship with Alice Huang, an executive at Megaspeed who is suspected of being a Chinese spy, according to reporting by TechCrunch and NBC Bay Area.
Three House committee chairs—Reps. Brian Mast, John Moolenaar, and Rick Crawford—sent a letter to Huang asking him to appear before their committees for a joint, closed-door briefing. The letter requests that Huang speak specifically about Nvidia's security protocols against foreign espionage and his interactions with Alice Huang.
The letter reads, in part, "It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which U.S. national security has been placed at risk."
House China committee Chairman Moolenaar said Wednesday on Fox Business that Huang has until the end of the day to respond to the request. If he doesn’t agree to the briefing, he’ll likely be subpoenaed, said Moolenaar. Mast, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Wednesday said his committee is preparing a subpoena for Huang to send if he doesn’t respond.
NBC Bay Area reports that the three committee chairs are asking for Huang to either appear on Nov. 18 or find another date. Huang has until Wednesday to respond to the congressional request. Mast reportedly is considering a subpoena if Huang does not accept the request.
Last Sunday, Nvidia's board released a statement that read, in part, "While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, the Board’s inquiry will examine all available information."
The Department of Justice is conducting a criminal investigation into Alice Huang and her company Megaspeed, NBC News reported, according to NBC Bay Area.
Nvidia did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.