SCOOP: President Trump authorized a crackdown on companies suspected of diverting Nvidia's advanced AI chips to China on Thursday, but one administration official repeatedly stood in the way: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. https://t.co/5Duzi14eEp
Details from inside the room w/@MarcACaputo: At a White House Situation Room meeting on Thursday after the midterm elections, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pressed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on why Megaspeed had not been added to the Commerce Department's entity list.
Lutnick initially stammered, sources said, and then replied: ""I don't know. I'll look into it."
Commerce Undersecretary Jeff Kessler also was repeatedly warned about Megaspeed in deputy meetings but deferred to Lutnick: "That's a decision for the secretary."
WHY IT MATTERS: 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 CEO Jensen Huang had an affair with Megaspeed employee and suspected Chinese spy Alice Huang.
https://t.co/e6OYLeDlBV
NEW: Stephen Miller wants to win back the young men who helped elect Trump in ‘24 but swung toward Dems in ‘26
What he’s telling allies about his priorities: https://t.co/0Ry9SBY9kL
In the White House situation room, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over lack of action cracking down on Megaspeed, the company where a suspected Chinese spy was having an affair w/NVIDIA’s leader
@m_ccuri & I
https://t.co/oI6AUaIRJv
NEW: Stephen Miller wants to use his new role as White House chief of staff to win back young and minority men who helped elect President Trump in 2024 but swung toward Democrats in the midterms. https://t.co/DIZPKXJiCz
SCOOP: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was sent a highly classified memo warning about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with suspected Chinese spy Alice Huang.
Lutnick oversees the agency charged with keeping sensitive U.S. technology out of the hands of American adversaries. The warning raises questions about how the department weighed potential security risks as it cleared advanced Nvidia chip sales to China-affiliated entities.
W/@MarcACaputo
https://t.co/ngS7TZhg4J
SCOOP: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was sent a highly classified memo warning about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with suspected Chinese spy Alice Huang. https://t.co/PxtP9x3AHw