US House threatens subpoena if Jensen Huang skips testimony after Nvidia ouster

The US Congress said Thursday (local time) it would press ahead with its investigation of Jensen Huang even after his removal as Nvidia CEO over an alleged affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) said that day that Huang had tentatively agreed to appear before key congressional committees Thursday evening to testify in a closed session, CNN reported.

Those committees include the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Intelligence Committee and the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. They have been investigating Huang's affair and the national security threat posed by Nvidia's exports of advanced semiconductors to China, and had called on Huang to appear and testify before Congress.

Mast said the committees were prepared to issue a subpoena if Huang reversed course and failed to appear. He said that if Huang did show up, "he will testify under oath at a minimum, and there will be a record and video of what is said." Whether Huang's sworn testimony would be made public remained unclear.

Mast also signaled that other Nvidia officials could be called to testify, saying he was "interested in testimony from other parts of Nvidia that are connected to Jensen and his work."

House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) said it was important to hear from Huang directly. "It's important to understand how Chinese intelligence operated, what information — particularly what classified information — they may have had access to, and what lobbying they conducted on certain policies," he said.

Moolenaar added that Huang had been "one of the most vocal opponents of export controls" on Nvidia's advanced semiconductors. "His departure changes the dynamic, but he has been critical of those who believe export controls are warranted. We want him to come forward and have that discussion with us," he said.

The push to investigate Huang is gaining momentum in the Senate as well.

Senate Republican Floor Leader John Thune told reporters that day he expected action to follow. "In a situation where there are really significant national security risks at stake, I would anticipate there will be follow-up," he said, according to CNBC.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who leads her party's side on the Senate Banking Committee and is expected to chair the panel in the next Congress, said in a statement that Huang's removal "does not absolve him, other executives, or the company of responsibility for putting our national security at risk or potential violations of the law," calling on Huang and Nvidia to cooperate with the congressional investigation.