US Senator John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) has mocked former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang over his admitted extramarital affair with a Chinese businesswoman suspected of spying for Beijing, saying anyone having an affair should at least make sure their partner is not a Chinese spy. During an interview with CNN anchor Kasie Hunt on Thursday, Kennedy delivered his comical jibe at Huang as he said he did not recommend extramarital affairs but one should at least check the LinkedIn profile of the other person. “Kasie, my jaw is still stuck on the floor. I mean, I’m not naive. I’m not Bambi’s baby brother. I know people have affairs. I don’t recommend it. But if you do, if you do, you ought to make sure it’s not with a Chinese spy. I mean, check their LinkedIn page, for God’s sakes,” Kennedy said.“And it’s like, allegedly, he’s a double agent cheater. Then he cheated on the spy!” Senator Kennedy said, making it look more comical.Huang, who stepped down as Nvidia CEO on Thursday, has acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife as he accepted his relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman and former executive associated with Singapore-based technology company Megaspeed International. More secret affairs came out of the closet, but US intelligence is worried about whether Alice Huang had links to China’s Ministry of State Security and used her relationship with the Nvidia chief to obtain information. Beijing has rejected the espionage allegations.
More serious question is…
Kennedy said the more serious question was whether US government officials had properly scrutinized the sale of advanced American chips to a company linked to the woman. “Apparently, the Department of Commerce greenlit the sale of $4 billion in advanced chips to the spy’s company,” he said. Kennedy said he wanted to hear from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and, in particular, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.“I mean, why were they selling the chips? Did they follow the trail? How do they know the chips went to the company and not to the Communist Party of China?” he asked.“Here’s a man, head of one of the most powerful companies in the world. More than anybody else in the private sector, he’s been making AI policy for America, and certainly with respect to our relationship with China. And then we learn about this,” Kennedy said.
Should Howard Lutnick also lose his job?
Hunt also asked Kennedy whether Lutnick should lose his job over the controversy. The Louisiana Republican said he had not reached a conclusion but suggested the commerce secretary should publicly address the allegations. “Well, I don’t know yet,” Kennedy said. “If I were the secretary, I would have called a press conference already.” He said Lutnick should tell the American public: “Look, I’ll be here as long as you want. I’m prepared to answer all questions.”Kennedy added that Lutnick would be called to testify before Congress and stressed that the matter was extremely serious.“This is serious as an aneurysm. I mean, this is not just a, it’s easy to make fun of because it’s so extraterrestrial. But it’s serious,” he said.
