US Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference on Thursday (12 November) that the Justice Department had not reached a conclusion on whether Chinese businesswoman Huang Le was a Chinese spy, but that the FBI was investigating reports that she worked for the Chinese government. Huang Le and Nvidia’s former chief executive Jensen Huang had previously had an extramarital affair.
In an interview released later that day, US President Donald J. Trump reiterated that it had not yet been determined whether Huang Le was a spy, when asked whether Jensen Huang should resign.
Trump said on the Straight Shooter (《直话直说》) podcast: “The big thing is, was the woman a spy? And I don’t know if that’s been determined yet. But if the woman was a spy, yes. If the woman was not a spy, perhaps it would be different”. He added that he had spoken to Jensen Huang by phone on Wednesday (11 November).
The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two people familiar with the matter, that Trump had called Jensen Huang on Tuesday (10 November) and urged the then Nvidia chief to fight to keep his job.
Jensen Huang formally resigned as Nvidia’s chief executive on Thursday. He publicly admitted on 8 November that he had been unfaithful to his wife, but did not disclose details of the relationship.
