Two senior Democratic senators have demanded that the Trump administration preserve all documents tied to Nvidia's chip exports to China and to chief executive Jensen Huang's relationship with a woman suspected of being a Chinese intelligence asset, in the latest sign that lawmakers are preparing detailed investigations of the saga.
Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Chris Coons of Delaware sent the letter on Wednesday to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, asking the officials to confirm by Tuesday that they had directed staff to keep all communications, records and other materials.
"This incident raises significant concerns about the federal government's ability to effectively enforce our export controls and protect our national security," the senators wrote. They also requested a congressional briefing on the national security risks posed by the suspected intelligence operation.
Warren and Coons are the incoming heads of the Senate Banking and Foreign Relations committees, which oversee investigations and legislation affecting sensitive technology exports and national-security concerns. Document-preservation letters are often an initial step before formal congressional investigations.
At the centre of the inquiry is Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data-centre company that has reportedly bought more than $4.8 billion in advanced Nvidia chips since June 2024. The Justice Department is investigating whether Megaspeed diverted chips to China in breach of US export controls. Reports have alleged that Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed executive described as a suspected Chinese intelligence asset, helped at least $7.5 billion in Nvidia chip shipments reach China.
The senators want communications between Nvidia executives and senior administration officials, records from investigations into suspected chip smuggling, and documents showing whether export restrictions were weakened or suspended. Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee have alleged that Rubio warned President Donald Trump about Huang's reported connections but that Trump brushed the warning aside, while licences for Nvidia's H200 chips to China continued to receive approval.
The letter arrived the same day Huang resigned as Nvidia's chief executive, after acknowledging he had been unfaithful to his wife in a relationship with a woman reports have described as a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. Colette Kress has taken over as interim chief executive. China has denied the allegations, calling them "baseless and purely slanderous smears against China." No criminal charges have been reported against either Jensen Huang or Alice Huang, who are not related.
House Republicans have separately called on Huang to brief lawmakers next week on his relationship with Alice Huang and have said they are open to using subpoenas to make him appear. The calls for scrutiny have come from both parties, with Republican allies of the president also urging Huang to step down.
