'We need answers': GOP chairman demands Lutnick explain why Megaspeed escaped blacklist

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid intensifying scrutiny of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s handling of Megaspeed, the Nvidia customer whose former executive reportedly had an affair with ex-Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Rep John Moolenaar has put him on the spot.

Senior Trump administration officials, including Lutnick, were reportedly informed months ago about Jensen Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed executive, yet Lutnick did not put Megaspeed on an export blacklist, despite several officials demanding so.

Republican representative says Howard Lutnick and Commerce owe answers

Appearing on CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’ on Sunday, November 15, Republican Representative John Moolenaar criticized Lutnick for his failure to blacklist Megaspeed, a Singapore-based AI company that is under probe.

Moolenaar said Lutnick and the entire Commerce Department need to answer questions over their handling of Megaspeed, a company run by Alice Huang.

He questioned why the Commerce Department had not updated its Entity List for a year and why Megaspeed was not thoroughly investigated.

“Why is it that export controls were so adamantly opposed by Commerce?” he asked. He also questioned whether former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had influenced the department's position.

When asked whether Lutnick should remain in his job, Moolenaar said, “I'll leave that up to the President.” However, he added that “there need to be questions answered by Howard Lutnick, by the entire Commerce Department. We need answers.”

Moolenaar also said the controversy highlights the need to include stricter export controls in the National Defense Authorization Act, adding that it would be a key focus for lawmakers over the next few weeks.

Scott Bessent clash deepens pressure on Lutnick over Megaspeed

Jensen Huang resigned from his position as Nvidia's CEO days after admitting to an affair with a woman.

Although it has not been confirmed whether Alice Huang was a Chinese spy who was placed in Huang’s life through Megaspeed, it is alleged that she helped Megaspeed gain access to Nvidia chips, which the company is suspected of diverting to China.

Later, several Trump administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, questioned the role of Howard Lutnick, who did not blacklist Megaspeed despite several warnings.

At a Situation Room meeting on November 5, Bessent asked Lutnick why Megaspeed wasn’t on the Entity List. Lutnick reportedly said, "I don't know. I'll look into it," but did not commit to taking any specific action at the meeting.

In an interview, Bessent did not deny the confrontation, but said, “We don’t repeat conversations in the Situation Room.”