House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar urged Nvidia to conduct a thorough investigation into reports about Jensen Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive who U.S. intelligence officials reportedly believe is a Chinese intelligence asset.
The Michigan Republican said Tuesday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that Congress must “get to the bottom” of the matter.
He said he wants to know whether Mr. Huang shared privileged information with Ms. Huang, whether China influenced Nvidia’s lobbying in Washington and whether China received preferential treatment in buying the company’s limited supply of advanced chips.
People were interested in these podcasts
Mr. Moolenaar said the company’s inquiry must be more than a public-relations exercise.
“If it becomes less of an investigation, more of damage control, that’s not going to work because people have to have confidence,” he said.
He described the Chinese Communist Party as a “foremost adversary” and the competition over technology as a “Cold War race.”
“We cannot allow the premier company at the forefront of this to, in some way, be irresponsible,” he said.
The New York Times reported that Mr. Huang was romantically involved with Ms. Huang, who is not related to him. Mr. Huang has confirmed the relationship. No criminal charges against either have been reported.
Nvidia’s board opened an investigation on Sunday. It said it has “no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised” and has confidence in Mr. Huang, who will remain chief executive during the review.
Mr. Moolenaar, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast of Florida and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford of Arkansas last week asked Mr. Huang to appear for a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18, the day after Nvidia is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings.
The lawmakers are seeking information on his interactions with Ms. Huang and Nvidia’s security protocols against foreign espionage.
In their letter, the three Republicans wrote that recent reports “raise significant national security concerns” about China’s access to sensitive U.S. technology and information.
The concerns are not limited to Republicans.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, said Monday that “we’re going to need a full briefing” on the issue so lawmakers can understand “what the implications are in terms of America’s national security.”
Nvidia has said Mr. Huang’s interactions with Ms. Huang were no different from his meetings with other executive clients. Megaspeed, which has bought about $4.8 billion in Nvidia equipment, according to the Times, has denied participating in illegal hardware transfers.
The Justice Department is conducting a criminal inquiry into the company.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.