Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott sent two letters on Thursday demanding that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang testify regarding recent developments surrounding the artificial intelligence chipmaker, it.marketscreener.com reported.
Huang stepped down from Nvidia following reports of a romantic relationship with a businesswoman named Alice Huang, whom U.S. authorities suspect of working as a spy for the Chinese government. Lawmakers have also criticized Lutnick over the administration’s refusal to place dozens of Chinese companies on a prominent U.S. trade blacklist and questioned whether the government adequately oversaw Nvidia exports to China.
“The recent reports raise serious concerns for our national security and for the protection of sensitive U.S. technologies,” Scott wrote on X, according to it.marketscreener.com. “I am asking Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify before the Senate Banking Committee.”
Spokespeople for Huang and Lutnick were not immediately reachable following the letters sent on Thursday. Scott said that he would evaluate issuing a subpoena for Huang if he does not appear voluntarily.
“The American people deserve answers,” Scott said.
Meanwhile, senior White House officials discussed separately whether to push Lutnick to leave his post, two people familiar with the situation reported, as pressure mounted in Washington for official intervention.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast told reporters that congressional staff spoke with Nvidia on Wednesday evening to coordinate the date and location of a closed-door briefing with lawmakers. Mast and two other prominent House Republicans requested last week that Huang brief them regarding his relationship with Alice Huang.
Alice Huang could not be reached for comment.
Huang resigned from his position at Nvidia following reports of a romantic relationship with Alice Huang, a businesswoman suspected by U.S. authorities of spying for the Chinese government.
Scott sent letters on Thursday demanding testimony from both Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and stated he would consider issuing a subpoena if Huang does not appear voluntarily.