Singapore firm escaped blacklist as Bessent blames Lutnick’s Commerce, slams Nvidia chip leakage to China

Bessent points to Commerce

The fallout from the Nvidia spy affair has widened, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent directing questions about a Singapore company to the Commerce Department. The company has been at the center of the controversy over chips allegedly diverted to China.

“Commerce has the pen,” Bessent told CNBC, adding that questions about the department’s internal processes should go to Commerce. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lutnick faces scrutiny

Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, has drawn criticism over his oversight of export controls on US chips to China. Reports this week said he had stalled President Donald Trump’s effort to crack down on companies suspected of diverting Nvidia chips to China.

Calls for tighter controls

US lawmakers have called for tougher limits on China’s access to advanced AI chips. The controversy has also raised questions about the Trump administration’s oversight of chip sales and threatened to implicate administration officials, including Lutnick. Asked whether Congress needed to intervene on export controls, Bessent said, “We have all the authorities that we need. They just need to be implemented.”