Pressure is building on Commerce Secretary Lutnick to explain his department's actions amid an Nvidia scandal over chips and suspected China smuggling.
Other congressional committees have asked both Lutnick and his department to retain all records relating to Nvidia and Huang. Those requests sit…
Lutnick is being pressed to explain what his department did in that setting. The demand is coming from across the political spectrum, not from one party alone.
Other congressional committees have asked both Lutnick and his department to retain all records relating to Nvidia and Huang. Those requests sit alongside the wider call for the department to account for its actions as scrutiny of the chip sales continues.
Reports said Megaspeed had been probed by US government agencies over suspicions it was smuggling Nvidia chips into China. The firm was not on a list of companies that US firms are prevented from working with.
Lutnick is being pressed to explain what his department did in that setting. The demand is coming from across the political spectrum, not from one party alone.
Dig deeper
Who is Lutnick?
Howard Lutnick is the US commerce secretary, whose department oversees export controls on advanced computer chips and is now being asked to explain its handling of Nvidia-related sales.
Who is Huang?
Jensen Huang is the chief executive of Nvidia, the US company whose advanced chips are at the center of the scrutiny.
What is Nvidia?
Nvidia designs high-end artificial-intelligence chips that Washington restricts from being sold to China on national-security grounds.
What is Megaspeed?
Megaspeed is a firm US agencies have examined over suspicions it moved Nvidia chips into China, even though it was not on the US list of barred business partners.
Why does this matter?
The dispute is about whether US export rules meant to keep advanced chips out of China were enforced, and what the Commerce Department did as those sales came under scrutiny.
What happens next?
Lutnick and his department are being pressed, including by lawmakers from both parties, to keep related records and account for their actions.