Tim Scott Asks Huang and Lutnick to Testify as Congress Widens Nvidia Inquiry

Scott sent letters to both men and said he would consider subpoenaing Huang if he does not appear voluntarily. Politico reported that the letters asked Huang to appear on December 3 and Lutnick on December 10. "Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive US technology," Scott wrote on X. "The American people deserve answers."

The request means Huang now faces calls to appear before at least two sets of committees within days of each other, while Nvidia heads into its November 17 quarterly results under interim chief executive Colette Kress. For Lutnick, whose department licenses chip exports, it adds a Senate panel led by a senior Republican to the bipartisan criticism he has drawn over the administration's refusal to add dozens of Chinese companies to a key trade blacklist and over its oversight of Nvidia's exports to China, Reuters reported.

Huang stepped down after reports of a romantic relationship with businesswoman Alice Huang, whom US authorities suspect of spying for China. China has denied that she is a spy, and Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday that the Justice Department had not reached a conclusion on the question. Alice Huang could not be reached for comment, according to Reuters.

The House Track

Separately, the chairs of three House committees, Brian Mast of Foreign Affairs, John Moolenaar of the China select committee and Rick Crawford of Intelligence, wrote to Huang and Nvidia general counsel Tim Teter requiring closed-door transcribed interviews on December 1 for Huang and December 2 for Teter, or subpoenas to compel them. "There are clear national security concerns that need to be addressed immediately," the chairs wrote, according to Reuters. They also asked Under Secretary of Commerce Jeffrey Kessler to testify at a December 3 hearing. Mast said on Thursday that Huang had agreed to brief lawmakers before Thanksgiving, with the date still being negotiated.

The inquiry is also spreading beyond Nvidia. Bloomberg reported that federal prosecutors are examining whether entities tied to Alice Huang helped move Super Micro servers into China. Super Micro shares fell 12% on the report, according to CNBC. Megaspeed, the Singapore company Alice Huang formerly led, has denied wrongdoing.

Trump Defends Huang

President Donald Trump, who has backed Lutnick, spoke sympathetically about Huang on Thursday. In a White House interview with Stephen A. Smith, Trump said Huang had called him and expressed remorse over what the scandal had done to his family, Bloomberg reported. "What he feels most badly about is his wife and family," Trump said, according to Fox News, which also quoted him questioning whether Huang needed to step down unless the woman was found to be a Chinese intelligence operative: "If the woman was not a spy, perhaps it would be different." The New York Times has reported that Trump called Huang on Tuesday and urged him to fight to keep his job.

Inside Nvidia, some staff want him back. WIRED reported that an internal suggestion-box post written by a longtime engineer before Huang's resignation, urging the board to weigh employee sentiment, has drawn more than 1,600 comments, several asking directors to find a way to return him to the company. "If you believe in the mission, bring back THE boss," one anonymous commenter wrote, according to WIRED.

Nvidia's new chair, Harvey Jones, has said the board has "full confidence" in Kress and will consider internal and external candidates for the permanent job. Nvidia and Lutnick's spokespeople could not immediately be reached for comment on the testimony requests, Reuters reported. The first scheduled appearance is the House interview on December 1.