Trump comments on reports about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with an alleged Chinese spy
At a White House briefing, US President Donald Trump said Jensen Huang told him he had no idea the woman was a spy. Nvidia, the chipmaker, has opened an investigation into its chief executive.
US President Donald Trump responded to questions at a White House press briefing about the relationship between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy. Nvidia is a chipmaker and one of the world's largest companies. Huang said over the weekend that he had been "unfaithful" to his wife, and the company has opened an investigation into him. The matter carries weight because of Nvidia's size and Trump's planned trip to China next week.
What Trump said
According to the president, Huang told him today that he had no idea the person was a spy. Trump said he believes him. He described Huang as a very honorable man and said he feels confident Huang will be in good shape. Trump also said he thinks Huang is suffering greatly, particularly because of his family.
Pressed repeatedly on when he first learned of the matter, Trump gave no specific date. He said he had been hearing and reading about it over a period of time, but not too long ago, and that it would be looked into. He mentioned that the FBI, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, is looking into it in connection with something else.
Trump denied knowing about the alleged ties in May, when he visited China. Asked about an intelligence memo prepared with the help of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he said it could have been mentioned but did not make much of an impact on him.
Earlier reporting
The New York Times reported in October that Trump had been briefed roughly a year ago on intelligence about a close relationship between Huang and the suspected spy, Alice Huang, but did nothing with it. Yesterday the newspaper reported that Rubio helped draft a memo to Trump administration officials about the relationship before the president's May trip to China.
Asked whether he would raise the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping during next week's visit, Trump said probably not, but that Xi may ask him about it himself.
