# Lutnick agrees to testify over Nvidia spy scandal

> Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will appear before Congress as bipartisan pressure mounts over national security concerns tied to Nvidia's CEO and an alleged Chinese spy.
- Title: Lutnick agrees to testify over Nvidia spy scandal · NBC News
- Summary: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will appear before Congress as bipartisan pressure mounts over national security concerns tied to Nvidia's CEO and an…
- Keywords: howard lutnick, nvidia, jensen huang, commerce department, export controls, china, senate banking committee, national security, congress, NBC News
- Source: NBC News — https://nbcnews.com/politics/congress/commerce-secretary-howard-lutnick-testify-pressure-nvidia-scandal-rcna609093
- Author: Kyla Guilfoil
- Published: 2026-11-13T02:45:27.671+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: howard lutnick, nvidia, jensen huang, commerce department, export controls, china, senate banking committee, national security, congress, politics, news
## Lutnick agrees to testify
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick agreed Thursday to testify before Congress over national security concerns regarding the expanding Nvidia scandal.
## Nvidia CEO resigns over spy affair
Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia's CEO Thursday after reports that he had an affair with a suspected Chinese spy.
## Senate Banking Committee sets dates
Sen. Tim Scott, chair of the Senate Banking Committee, asked Huang and Lutnick to voluntarily appear before the committee on December third and December tenth respectively.
## Scott cites export control role
Scott wrote that Lutnick's testimony will be essential given the Department of Commerce's central role in issuing and enforcing export control regulations.

> Given the Department of Commerce's central role in issuing and enforcing export control regulations, your testimony before the Committee will be essential in our oversight of these efforts.
## Blumenthal warns of subpoena
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Lutnick should appear voluntarily, though if he does not, he may need to be subpoenaed.
## Lawmakers question export controls
Blumenthal said he wants to know whether export controls were relaxed. Banks expressed concerns about chips being exported that should not have been.

> Were export controls relaxed?
## Banks cites Trump's export orders
Sen. Jim Banks said he has bipartisan questions about what allowed these issues to continue, noting chips appear to have been exported in defiance of President Trump's orders.
## Warren demands loophole closure
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Lutnick needs to explain why export control loopholes have not been closed and act to ensure advanced technology is not fueling China's military.
## White House backs Lutnick
The White House defended Lutnick in a statement, saying the president maintains complete confidence in him as the most transformative Commerce Secretary in modern history.
## House Democrats demand answers
Reps. Gregory Meeks, Gabe Amo and Sydney Kamlager-Dove signed a letter demanding answers from Lutnick over the Trump administration's approval of advanced AI chip exports and concerning links to China.
## Huang to brief House committee
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said Huang agreed to brief lawmakers in a closed-door, transcribed interview on December first, with a subpoena to be issued if he does not confirm by Friday evening.
## Tillis urges faster testimony
Sen. Thom Tillis urged Lutnick to testify before Thanksgiving, saying he should recognize he has Republican support and should lay out the facts while that backing exists.

> Come here before Thanksgiving. Give us the facts.
## Key takeaway

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick agreed to testify before Congress over national security concerns regarding Nvidia after its CEO resigned over an alleged affair with a Chinese spy.