‘President maintains complete confidence in him’: White House official on commerce secy Lutnick amid Nvidia ‘spy’ scandal
US President Donald Trump is standing by his commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, a White House official said, following Jensen Huang’s resignation as Nvidia’s president, CEO and board member after confessing to an extramarital affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy.Lutnick allegedly spent the past year working to “undo” efforts by other Trump administration officials to hold Megaspeed, an Nvidia customer, accountable. The Singapore-based company is accused of illegally diverting US-made chips to China.Also Read | Jensen Huang scandal: Why top Trump official Howard Lutnick ‘protected’ firm where Chinese spy Alice Huang workedAlice Huang, the alleged Chinese spy, was an executive at Megaspeed at the time of her extramarital affair with Jensen Huang.Speaking to CNN, an unnamed White House official described Lutnick as America’s “most transformative” commerce secretary in recent history.“President Trump maintains complete confidence in the secretary and his ability to carry out the position as the most transformative commerce secretary in modern history,” the official said.The official’s remarks came shortly after Nvidia announced Huang’s departure from all his positions at the company. The semiconductor giant has appointed Colette Kress, its executive vice president and chief financial officer, as interim CEO until a permanent successor is named.Kress joined Nvidia in 2013.Born in Taiwan in 1963, Huang moved to the US in 1973 at the age of nine. He co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and is among the wealthiest individuals in the world.“Jensen’s contributions to NVIDIA are profound. NVIDIA is one of the most consequential technology companies in the world. The Board and the company thank Jensen for his immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry,” the company said in an official statement announcing his departure.
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