Transcript: Himes calls for scrutiny of Nvidia-related China chip questions
Questions about China intelligence
Margaret Brennan asked Himes how certain U.S. intelligence agencies were that Alice Huang, Megaspeed’s former CEO, had been an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security. The question followed reporting that linked her to Jensen Huang of Nvidia.
President Donald Trump said he did not know whether Alice Huang had been determined to be a spy. Brennan also asked whether a memo attributed to Marco Rubio, drawing on CIA intelligence and intercepted communications, had been shared with the Gang of Eight. The transcript contains no answers from Himes to those questions.
Scrutiny of Nvidia and Megaspeed
Brennan said two law enforcement sources told CBS that the Justice Department’s National Security Division was investigating Megaspeed, a Singapore company formerly led by Alice Huang. She asked whether Jensen Huang should face greater scrutiny and why the United States would not tell him if he had been targeted by Chinese intelligence.
Himes said Nvidia makes money by selling chips and therefore has an incentive to sell to China. He argued that preventing prohibited sales is the responsibility of the government, including the commerce secretary and president, through measures such as the entity list.
Government oversight and sales
Himes noted that Megaspeed was not on the entity list, and said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had been making that point. Brennan raised Bessent’s comments about possible non-compliance and chip sales, as well as reporting that 1% of computer chips imported to Singapore stayed there while Nvidia said Singapore represented 20% of its sales.
Asked what action was needed, Himes said scrutiny should include people around Jensen Huang, not only the Nvidia chief executive. His response breaks off mid-sentence, so the transcript does not provide his full explanation or a complete answer about possible smuggling.
Key points
- Himes said government officials are responsible for enforcing restrictions on chip sales to China.
- He said Megaspeed was not on the entity list.
- Himes called for scrutiny of Jensen Huang’s associates as well as the Nvidia CEO.
- The transcript ends before Himes completes his response on possible smuggling.