Congressional Oversight: House Republicans Move Toward Subpoenaing Nvidia Chief
Committee chairs set a Wednesday deadline for the CEO's response to their joint briefing request before escalating the inquiry into his relationship with an alleged Chinese agent.
By Jack Weber ·
House Republican leaders are preparing to issue a subpoena to Jensen Huang, the chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp, if the technology executive does not respond to a formal request for a closed-door briefing by Wednesday. Representative Brian Mast, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, confirmed on Tuesday that he is ready to compel Huang's testimony should the deadline pass without a reply.
The push for congressional scrutiny began last week when Mast, Representative Rick Crawford, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, and Representative John Moolenaar, chair of the House China Committee, jointly sent a letter to Huang. The correspondence requested his appearance for a joint session focused on Nvidia's security protocols against foreign adversary espionage. This demand followed a Sunday announcement by the company that it was conducting an internal review of Huang's conduct.
The review was triggered by reporting from The New York Times alleging that Huang had an affair with Alice Huang, a senior executive at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data company. The New York Times identified the executive as an alleged agent of the Chinese government. In response to the disclosure, Nvidia initiated its own investigation into the relationship.
Mast stated that the briefing would cover a lengthy list of topics, including any correspondence Huang maintained with the Chinese government. He expressed strong concern regarding the national security implications of the relationship, noting that Huang leads the world's largest computer chip manufacturer. Mast emphasized that while the company is American, the goal is to prevent China from accessing or using those chips.
A separate deadline exists for a different congressional body. Members of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Against the People's Republic of China sent a letter requesting Huang appear for a closed-door briefing on November 18. Nvidia has not yet indicated whether the CEO will honor that specific request.
The procedural landscape for a potential subpoena is complicated by upcoming leadership changes. House Republicans will lose control of their committees in January when Democrats take the majority. A subpoena issued now would likely expire at that point, requiring the new Democratic leadership to issue a fresh order if they wish to continue the inquiry.
Nvidia's board of directors has stated there is no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised by the relationship. The company said Huang fully supports the review and will cooperate. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said on Monday that the FBI is investigating the matter. Trump noted he spoke with Huang by phone, where the CEO said he did not know his partner was a spy.
The Chinese government denied the allegations, describing them as baseless and slanderous. Neither Alice Huang nor Megaspeed International responded to requests for comment regarding the reporting on the relationship.
