Trump defends Nvidia CEO Huang amid alleged spy affair reports
A New York Times report says a classified memo, prepared under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warned officials about Huang's ties to a Chinese operative.
US President Donald Trump came to the defense of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Sunday amid reports of an affair with an alleged Chinese intelligence operative, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
When asked about the reported relationship and a board investigation at the chipmaker, Trump said, "I think he's an honorable guy."
Trump added that Huang "probably has an excuse" and that people "have to hear it," calling him someone who had done an amazing job for the country.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw a classified intelligence memo that warned senior Trump administration officials about Huang's close relationship with an alleged Chinese intelligence operative.
The memo was drafted in the spring and circulated among senior national security officials before Trump's state visit to China in May, the newspaper said.
The intelligence reportedly came from electronic surveillance of Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman who is not related to the Nvidia chief.
Alice Huang was a senior executive at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data center company that bought advanced artificial intelligence processors while under federal investigation for allegedly smuggling semiconductors into mainland China.
Intelligence officials sought to identify an American whose intercepted communications suggested an intimate relationship with Alice Huang, and the review identified that person as Jensen Huang, the report said.
US counterintelligence agencies concluded that China's Ministry of State Security had recruited Alice Huang as an operative.
Huang was first left off the official business delegation that travelled with Trump to China, but Trump reportedly intervened after media reports noted his absence and arranged for him to join Air Force One during a refueling stop in Alaska.
Trump also declined to impose restrictions on Huang or Nvidia, reportedly because he views the chipmaker's market dominance as critical to US economic competitiveness and financial markets.