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

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: Jensen Huang Resigns as NVIDIA CEO, Effective Immediately: CFO Kress Named Interim CEO as Board Launches Search

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

Follow-Up: Senators Warren and Coons Tell Three Top Officials to Preserve All Nvidia China Export Records

Times Names Nvidia VP Kimberly Powell in Huang Investigation; Board Reportedly to Meet on His Future

New York Times Reports Nvidia Board Discussed Jensen Huang's Future

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.

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