Rubio warned officials about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s affair with suspected Chinese spy: Report
WASHINGTON, DC: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang may have only now publicly acknowledged his extramarital affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy, but it appears the White House had been privy to the alleged relationship long before his admission.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the preparation of a classified memo warning senior Trump administration officials about Huang's intimate relationship with a suspected Chinese spy, multiple people briefed on the matter said to The New York Times.
The report came after Huang apologized for infidelity on Sunday, November 8, as his $4.5 trillion company opened an investigation into his relationship with Alice Huang, a Singapore-based executive whom US intelligence officials suspect of being a Chinese spy.
Marco Rubio reportedly warned officials about Jensen Huang’s affair before Trump’s China trip
Rubio's memo was reportedly distributed to administration officials with high-level security clearances ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to China in May.
Huang was initially excluded from the delegation of American business and technology executives accompanying the president, despite leading one of the world's most valuable companies.
It remains unclear whether that decision was connected to the intelligence warning regarding his affair.
The memo was based on electronic surveillance of Alice, who is not related to the Nvidia chief.
US intelligence officials concluded that she had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security, the country's main intelligence agency, the New York Times reported.
Although the revelation has sparked fresh concerns about potential national security risks, Nvidia sought to allay fears, maintaining that it had “no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised.”
Huang also apologized to employees, acknowledging that he had been unfaithful to his wife.
"I was unfaithful to my wife," he wrote in a company message. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
Trump calls Jensen Huang an ‘honorable guy’ amid Nvidia probe
According to The New York Times, Trump was briefed roughly a year ago that US intelligence agencies had electronically surveilled Alice and believed she was operating on behalf of Chinese intelligence services.
Despite the warning, Trump chose not to act, viewing Nvidia's chips as vital to America's competition with China in the AI sector. He also considered the company's success important to maintaining a strong stock market.
When reporters asked on Sunday evening whether he regretted not acting after learning about the alleged relationship, Trump said he did not.
“No, I don’t think so,” the president said. He added that he believed Huang should stay on as Nvidia’s chief executive.
“I think he’s an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it,” Trump continued.
