Bessent Confronts Lutnick over Not Labeling Nvidia Customer a National Security Threat, Sources Say
Bessent questioned why the Commerce Department had not added the Nvidia-linked company to its entity list despite repeated warnings from U.S. agencies.
- On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in the White House Situation Room over the administration's failure to blacklist Megaspeed, a company accused of diverting advanced AI chips to China.
- Scrutiny of Megaspeed intensified following revelations that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had an affair with Alice Huang, a former executive identified by U.S. intelligence as a Chinese spy.
- Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio sent a classified memo to Lutnick in May warning about the relationship, but sources claim Lutnick spent the past year "undoing" other officials' efforts to hold the company accountable.
- When questioned about the delay, Lutnick replied, "I don't know," before later suggesting the Commerce Department could move quickly to impose restrictions; a spokeswoman denied the exchange occurred.
- Lawmakers in both parties plan to investigate the approvals, seeking closed-door testimony from Jensen Huang next week, while Nvidia's independent directors retained former acting U.S. attorney Joon H. Kim to lead an internal inquiry.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Day 2122: “I’ll look into it.”
White House counsel Will Scharf threatened criminal investigations of Democrats over their planned oversight of the Trump administration; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the administration’s failure to blacklist an Nvidia customer suspected of illegally diverting advanced AI chips to China; Bessent moved from his home to a military base for his safety following threats...
Bessent confronts Lutnick over not labeling Nvidia customer a national security threat, sources say
By Adam Cancryn, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent challenged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over his department’s reluctance to label Nvidia customer Megaspeed a possible national security threat in a Situation Room confrontation last week that illustrates the tension inside the Trump administration over Chinese access to Nvidia’s advanced chips, two people
Trump officials clash over Megaspeed, company tied to Nvidia CEO's affair
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has questioned Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the delay in restricting AI chip sales to Singapore-based Megaspeed, whose former executive Alice Huang was identified by US intelligence as a Chinese spy and had an affair with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Bessent Confronted Lutnick Over Spy Scandal
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over a failure to place Nvidia customer Megaspeed on a list of companies that pose national security concerns,” Axios reports. “The Commerce Department oversees the export of sensitive U.S. technologies and Lutnick’s actions — or lack thereof — are increasingly under scrutiny following revelations that Nvidia […]
Lutnick left stammering after Bessent ambush in Situation Room over spy scandal: Axios
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in the White House Situation Room over the Commerce Department’s failure to crack down on a company tied to Nvidia’s widening spy scandal, according to a new report.Axios reported that Bessent asked Lutnick last week why Megaspeed, an Nvidia customer accused of illegally diverting U.S. chips to China, hadn’t been added to the Commerce Department’s entity list of compan…
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