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Follow-Up: Himes Says Alice Huang's Role Is Still Unclear; Intelligence Chiefs Could Not Say Whether the FBI Has Opened a Case

Thursday, November 12, 2026 · Federal · GSM News

Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on November 11 that after a classified briefing from intelligence agency heads he still could not say whether Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed, knowingly passed information to China or was, as he put it, a "useful idiot" unaware of China's wider espionage activities. According to Politico, Himes said he asked Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and CIA Director John Ratcliffe directly whether the FBI had opened a counterintelligence investigation, and both told him "they didn't know."

"What's the relationship with Alice Huang and the Chinese, and what do we know about what influence or information was traded? Because today, at least, I don't know," Himes said. "I would hope that the FBI would launch a major counterintelligence investigation. I haven't heard that they did," he added. He said the FBI should have opened such an investigation after a government memo circulated earlier this year raising concerns about Huang's possible links to Chinese intelligence.

President Trump said earlier this week that the FBI is investigating the matter. According to Politico, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In an earlier statement after an intelligence briefing, Himes said: "The export of advanced semiconductors to China or countries where China might access them is a matter of immense national security importance. We are aggressively pursuing more information to understand what happened and whether the decision-making process to export chips was improperly influenced or compromised."

Huang has been linked to Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang. According to The New York Times and other outlets, U.S. intelligence officials assessed that she had links to China's Ministry of State Security, an allegation that has not been established. Jensen Huang has acknowledged to employees that he was unfaithful to his wife, and Nvidia's board has opened an independent investigation, saying it has no reason to believe U.S. national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun has said the claim that Huang gathered information for Beijing was purely groundless speculation and an attempt to smear and malign China. Huang herself has made no public response to date.

Reference: Politico

Related: Follow-Up: Megaspeed Issues First Public Statement, Says It Cooperated With U.S. Inspections and Retained a U.S. Law Firm to Census Its GPUs

Source: U.S. House Intelligence Committee

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图:位于华盛顿的美国国会大厦。GSM 固定图库照片。 / Photo: The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. GSM file photo.

Story Timeline
  1. 2026-10-29A Bar Photo Fuels 'Spy' Buzz Online: Jensen Huang and Alice Huang Seen Together Twice in Taipei as Huang Calls the Dealings Normal
  2. 2026-10-30Nvidia Rejects Report of a Chinese Spy Near Jensen Huang, Saying Singapore Cloud Executive Had Only Ordinary Business Contact
  3. 2026-11-04Three House Committee Chairs Ask Nvidia's Jensen Huang to Give a Closed-Door Briefing on November 18 on His Contacts With Alice Huang
  4. 2026-11-08Jensen Huang Admits Infidelity to Staff as Nvidia Board Launches Independent Investigation
  5. 2026-11-08When a Founder's Private Life Becomes a Public Company's Business
  6. 2026-11-08Follow-Up: Rubio Oversaw Classified Memo Warning Top Officials About Jensen Huang's Close Ties to Alice Huang
  7. 2026-11-08Follow-Up: Trump Calls Nvidia's Huang an 'Honorable Guy,' Says He Has Not Discussed the Allegations With Him
  8. 2026-11-09Follow-Up: China's Foreign Ministry Dismisses "Chinese Spy" Claim Linked to Nvidia as a Baseless Smear
  9. 2026-11-09Follow-Up: Musk and Ackman Publicly Back Jensen Huang as Nvidia Shares Tumble More Than 6% in Frankfurt on Monday
  10. 2026-11-09Nvidia Closes Down 4.29% at $178.64, Falling Alone as Market and Chip Peers Rally
  11. 2026-11-09Follow-Up: With the November 11 Reply Deadline Near, Nvidia Has Yet to Confirm Whether Jensen Huang Will Attend the Closed Congressional Briefing
  12. 2026-11-09Follow-Up: Trump Says He Called Jensen Huang, Who Said He Had 'Absolutely No Idea' She Was a Spy: 'I Really Believe Him'
  13. 2026-11-10Nvidia Falls Another 5 Percent to About $168.89: Two-Day Slide Erases Roughly $470 Billion in Market Value
  14. 2026-11-10Sen. Kevin Cramer Calls on Jensen Huang to Resign, Citing Blackmail Risk; Schumer Demands Full Accounting on Chip Bills
  15. 2026-11-11Viral 'Letters' From Jensen Huang's Wife and Daughter Are Fabricated; Neither Has Made Any Public Statement
  16. 2026-11-11Follow-Up: Rep. Lieu Says Trump Administration '1,000 Percent' Too Deferential to Nvidia; Lofgren Sees Momentum to Curb Chip Sales to China
  17. 2026-11-11Asian American Journalists Association Criticizes Surname Punchlines in Jensen Huang Coverage, Naming The Economist and the New York Post
  18. 2026-11-11Baird Downgrades Nvidia to Neutral and Slashes Its Price Target to $200 From $500
  19. 2026-11-11Shareholders Sue NVIDIA and Jensen Huang in Class Action Alleging Misleading Statements on Megaspeed Ties
  20. 2026-11-11Follow-Up: As Jensen Huang's Reply Deadline Passes, a House Chair Says Subpoenas Are Likely If He Does Not Agree to a Closed-Door Briefing
  21. 2026-11-11New York Times Reports Nvidia Board Discussed Jensen Huang's Future
  22. 2026-11-11Times Names Nvidia VP Kimberly Powell in Huang Investigation; Board Reportedly to Meet on His Future
  23. 2026-11-11Follow-Up: Senators Warren and Coons Tell Three Top Officials to Preserve All Nvidia China Export Records
  24. 2026-11-11Bessent Reportedly Confronted Lutnick Over Why Megaspeed Is Not on the Entity List; Commerce Denies Any Clash
  25. 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Megaspeed Issues First Public Statement, Says It Cooperated With U.S. Inspections and Retained a U.S. Law Firm to Census Its GPUs
  26. 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Taiwan Revokes Alice Huang's Entry Permit, Interior Minister Says She Cannot Return
  27. 2026-11-12Jensen Huang Resigns as NVIDIA CEO, Effective Immediately: CFO Colette Kress Named Interim CEO as Board Launches Search
  28. 2026-11-12Nvidia Shares Plunge at Thursday's Open, Down More Than 14% Intraday as Market Value Dips Below $4 Trillion
  29. 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Himes Says Alice Huang's Role Is Still Unclear; Intelligence Chiefs Could Not Say Whether the FBI Has Opened a CaseThis story
  30. 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Trump Says Only One Man Can Succeed Jensen Huang at Nvidia: Apple's Tim Cook
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