Washington, DC [US], November 11 (ANI): Republican US Senator Kevin Cramer from the Senate Banking Committee has called for Jensen Huang to step down as chief executive officer of Nvidia following disclosures regarding a personal association with an individual alleged to be a Chinese intelligence operative.
The North Dakota legislator asserted that the executive's leadership at the helm of the leading artificial intelligence semiconductor enterprise constitutes a national security vulnerability.
“The potential for extortion is so tremendous that something as sensitive as Nvidia chips, I just think he’s got to go,” Cramer told Politico late Tuesday.
“If the worst thing he did in real life is infidelity with this woman who may or may not be a Chinese spy, but she might be, that’s enough, because whatever else there is, we don’t know. And to me, that’s a security risk.”
The lawmaker's declarations follow a detailed investigative report published last month by The New York Times, indicating that US officials determined Alice Huang, a corporate executive associated with a Singapore-based data centre firm who cultivated a close rapport with the Nvidia leader, functioned as a Chinese intelligence asset suspected of facilitating the diversion of advanced microprocessors to Beijing.
Cramer serves on the influential Senate Banking Committee, a legislative panel exercising jurisdiction over regulatory measures capable of restricting high-performance chip shipments to foreign destinations. Several legislative proposals introduced within the committee, including the AI OVERWATCH Act, the Chip Security Act and the MATCH Act, are currently being evaluated for incorporation into the annual National Defense Authorization Act, an essential defence spending package whose legislative momentum has intensified amid the unfolding intelligence controversy.
The senator's remarks came hours after former National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow urged the corporate executive to relinquish his post.
“Step down, Mr Huang, right now,” Kudlow said on the financial and economic affairs programme he hosts on Fox Business Network, describing such a move as a “common-sense action”.
The United States House Select Committee on China has similarly highlighted the mounting national security implications surrounding artificial intelligence competition following the revelations. In a recent statement posted on the social media platform X, the congressional committee emphasised that the executive's personal association with an individual identified as a Chinese intelligence operative and former Megaspeed corporate executive directly affects the geopolitical microchip race.
"Watch to learn how NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s romantic relationship with a Chinese spy and former Megaspeed executive affects the AI race and America’s national security," the congressional panel stated in the post, urging the immediate passage of bipartisan export control measures.
Adding to the legislative pressure, Democratic members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, specifically Gabe Amo of Rhode Island, Gregory W. Meeks of New York and Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California, demanded that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick address questions regarding the administration’s export policies concerning advanced artificial intelligence computer chips.
In their correspondence, the lawmakers challenged the Commerce Department over authorisations permitting advanced processor shipments overseas. “You cannot claim to be protecting American leadership in artificial intelligence while allowing our most advanced technology to reach a strategic competitor,” the lawmakers wrote. “National security must come before corporate sales targets.”
The correspondence emerged as congressional leadership prepared for a scheduled intelligence briefing concerning Iran, though legislators intended to question CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton regarding the operative who maintained a personal relationship with the Nvidia chief executive.
Amid the political fallout, it remained business as usual at Nvidia's headquarters in Santa Clara, California, on Monday and Tuesday. According to a CNBC USA report citing sources familiar with the developments, Jensen Huang was at the company headquarters on Monday, conducting regular morning meetings with senior executives.
The report stated that Huang addressed his infidelity and expressed remorse during a closed-door gathering, quickly moving on to business matters without taking questions. He was also present at the office on Tuesday, attending meetings as the company prepared for its quarterly earnings report.
Earlier, in an internal apology addressed to company employees, Huang acknowledged personal wrongdoing and unfaithfulness to his family. "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did," Huang stated in the memo.
In response to the mounting scrutiny, Nvidia's board of directors announced that it had retained a prominent US law firm to investigate the allegations. In a fresh statement, the board confirmed that independent members had retained former Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon H. Kim and his firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, to conduct a thorough independent inquiry. Cramer had previously dismissed earlier board measures as "fine, but not nearly enough".
Concurrently, a confidential warning has been issued at the highest levels of the US government. According to a CNN report, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick received a highly classified memo warning him about Jensen Huang's association with Alice Huang.
Building on these disclosures, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed President Donald Trump on intelligence indicating that the Nvidia chief executive was involved with an operative suspected of gathering intelligence for Beijing while both officials travelled aboard Air Force One towards China in May, as revealed to CNN by a source familiar with the matter.
President Trump publicly stated on Monday that he was unaware of the allegations during that period. During an impromptu White House press conference, he maintained that he had first learnt of the situation "not too long ago" and noted that federal investigators were reviewing the circumstances.
Defending Huang as an "amazing guy" and a "very high-quality person", Trump expressed personal sympathy, noting that Huang and his family were "suffering greatly" from the fallout.
The response drew sharp criticism from congressional leadership. US Senator Chuck Schumer launched a sharp attack on President Trump, demanding immediate accountability over what he termed a gross "failure to protect national security". Schumer alleged that Trump had been briefed more than a year ago about the Nvidia CEO's purported relationship with an alleged Chinese spy but had taken no action.
In a sharply worded post shared on X, the Senate Democrat said, "Trump was briefed over A YEAR AGO on Nvidia’s CEO having an affair with a Chinese spy. He did nothing about it. Instead, Trump took him to Beijing, took his advice to give China access to our AI chips, & accepted a $25M donation from Nvidia."
Demanding immediate accountability from the White House, Schumer added, "We need answers immediately on Trump’s failure to protect our national security." (ANI)
Senior Republican on US Senate banking panel calls on Nvidia CEO Huang to resign
