The FBI was looking into Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang, who denied knowing a woman involved in an alleged affair was a suspected Chinese spy, U.S. President Donald Trump said.
Trump said he believed Huang's account after speaking with him that day. His remarks did not establish what the FBI was investigating or whether its inquiries concerned the alleged affair.
Trump spoke to reporters at the White House in footage carried by CNBC International Live in “President Trump says FBI 'looking into' Nvidia's Huang,” published Nov. 10.
Asked when he first learned about the affair, Trump said he had heard and read about it over a period of time, though he did not give a date.
“I've been hearing about it and I've been reading a little bit about it over a period of time, but not too long ago,” he said.
Trump then referred to an FBI inquiry without explaining its scope. “I know the FBI is looking into it in terms of something else and I think that he'll be in good shape.”
Asked whether he knew about the alleged ties when he visited China in May, Trump said he had not heard about them then. He did not say when he subsequently learned of the allegations.
Trump said he had contacted Huang to ask how he was feeling and had also asked whether he knew the woman was a spy. He described Huang's response as an unequivocal denial of such knowledge.
“He said he had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy,” Trump said. “I really believe him.” The remarks provided no independent confirmation that the woman was a spy.
Nvidia's general counsel also contacted a U.S. Commerce Department undersecretary responsible for chip exports about an investigation into suspected chip smuggling by Singapore-based Mega Speed, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Mega Speed employed the woman suspected of spying. The lawyer's questions concerned the investigation and whether the U.S. government had any involvement in her detention in Singapore. No answer to those questions was given.
An Nvidia spokesperson said the company routinely consults governments to answer questions, supply information, seek guidance and instructions, and ask whether officials have follow-up questions.
That response did not specify what the lawyer sought in this case. Trump's comments also left open what information, if any, Huang had shared with the woman and what investigators were seeking to establish.
