Lutnick agrees to testify as Congress presses Nvidia’s former CEO

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify before a Senate committee as lawmakers from both parties seek answers about U.S. export controls and Nvidia’s ties to a company under investigation for allegedly smuggling advanced chips into China.

The agreement came Thursday, the day Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned as CEO following reports of an affair with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed who is suspected of being a Chinese spy. Lawmakers are also pressing Huang to testify.

“Secretary Lutnick has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before the Banking Committee to address their questions,” Lutnick spokesperson Kristen Eichamer told NBC News.

Sen. Tim Scott, the South Carolina Republican who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, requested voluntary appearances by Huang on Dec. 3 and Lutnick on Dec. 10, according to NBC News. Scott called for a public hearing with Lutnick on reports that raise national security concerns about Nvidia and the Commerce Department’s role.

“Given the Department of Commerce’s central role in issuing and enforcing export control regulations, your testimony before the Committee will be essential in our oversight of these efforts,” Scott wrote. He also warned that the committee could subpoena Huang if necessary, CBS News reported.

Megaspeed gained access to Nvidia chips that are banned from export to China and is under investigation in the United States and Singapore for allegedly smuggling them there, according to CBS News. Megaspeed denies the allegations. Nvidia has said it complies with U.S. export laws. The New York Times reported that a Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security investigation into Megaspeed was halted last year, according to CBS News.

Three Republican House committee chairs have asked Huang to attend a closed-door, transcribed interview on Dec. 1. They said the House Foreign Affairs Committee would issue a subpoena if he did not accept by Friday evening. Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast said Thursday that Huang had indicated he was willing to appear, though a date and venue remained under discussion. Huang’s representatives did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Scott’s letter.

“We need to know the full extent to which our national security has been put at risk,” Mast and the chairs of the House committees on China and intelligence said in a statement reported by CBS News. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has also requested testimony from Under Secretary of Commerce Jeffrey Kessler, who leads the bureau responsible for export controls, CBS News reported.

Democrats are demanding answers from the administration as well. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut asked whether export controls had been relaxed and said Lutnick might need to be subpoenaed if he did not appear voluntarily. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said Lutnick must explain why export-control loopholes have not been closed. Three House Foreign Affairs Democrats wrote to him Monday seeking answers about the administration’s approval of advanced AI chip exports.

The White House said President Donald Trump “maintains complete confidence” in Lutnick. Trump praised Huang on Thursday, saying he had done a “fantastic job.”