Follow-Up: White House Officials Are Discussing Commerce Secretary Lutnick's Future, Reuters Reports, as Lawmakers Step Up Export-Control Criticism
Reuters reported on November 12 that senior White House officials are discussing whether Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick should be pushed out, citing two people familiar with the situation, against the backdrop of the spy scandal surrounding Nvidia's now-former chief executive, Jensen Huang. The report did not say a decision had been made. The White House and the Commerce Department did not immediately respond when Reuters asked again about Lutnick's future after the report appeared.
According to Reuters, criticism of Lutnick among lawmakers is growing, one focus being the administration's refusal to add dozens of Chinese companies to the Entity List, a key U.S. trade blacklist. That criticism predates Huang's resignation on November 12. Huang stepped down after reports of a relationship with Alice Huang, whom U.S. authorities suspect of spying for Beijing; earlier GSM coverage set out the sourcing layers behind those allegations.
Earlier on Thursday, a White House official had told reporters that President Donald Trump "maintains complete confidence in the secretary and his ability to carry out the position." That statement and the report of internal discussions appeared on the same day, and any final decision awaits a formal White House announcement.
Pressure on Capitol Hill is rising in parallel. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who will chair the Senate Banking Committee starting in January, wrote to Lutnick and other senior officials demanding an explanation of why export-control loopholes have not been closed. Warren and Senator Chris Coons had earlier written demanding that all records on Nvidia chip exports to China be preserved, and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott has demanded that Huang and Lutnick testify, warning of subpoenas if they do not appear voluntarily. GSM has reported both steps.
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国商务部长 Howard Lutnick 官方肖像（公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons）。 / Photo: Official portrait of U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).
Story Timeline
- 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
- 2026-10-30Nvidia Rejects Report of a Chinese Spy Near Jensen Huang, Saying Singapore Cloud Executive Had Only Ordinary Business Contact
- 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
- 2026-11-08Nvidia Senior Director Madison Huang Cancels South Korea Trip at Short Notice; Yonhap Cites Family Reasons
- 2026-11-08Jensen Huang Admits Infidelity to Staff as Nvidia Board Launches Independent Investigation
- 2026-11-08When a Founder's Private Life Becomes a Public Company's Business
- 2026-11-08Follow-Up: Rubio Oversaw Classified Memo Warning Top Officials About Jensen Huang's Close Ties to Alice Huang
- 2026-11-08Follow-Up: Trump Calls Nvidia's Huang an 'Honorable Guy,' Says He Has Not Discussed the Allegations With Him
- 2026-11-09Follow-Up: China's Foreign Ministry Dismisses "Chinese Spy" Claim Linked to Nvidia as a Baseless Smear
- 2026-11-09Follow-Up: Musk and Ackman Publicly Back Jensen Huang as Nvidia Shares Tumble More Than 6% in Frankfurt on Monday
- 2026-11-09South Korea Says Nvidia Issues Won't Affect Contracted GPU Supplies
- 2026-11-09Nvidia Closes Down 4.29% at $178.64, Falling Alone as Market and Chip Peers Rally
- 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
- 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'
- 2026-11-09Jeffries Says He Strongly Supports Putting Restrictions on Advanced Chip Exports to China Into the Defense Authorization Bill
- 2026-11-10Nvidia Falls Another 5 Percent to About $168.89: Two-Day Slide Erases Roughly $470 Billion in Market Value
- 2026-11-10Sen. Kevin Cramer Calls on Jensen Huang to Resign, Citing Blackmail Risk; Schumer Demands Full Accounting on Chip Bills
- 2026-11-11Viral 'Letters' From Jensen Huang's Wife and Daughter Are Fabricated; Neither Has Made Any Public Statement
- 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
- 2026-11-11Asian American Journalists Association Criticizes Surname Punchlines in Jensen Huang Coverage, Naming The Economist and the New York Post
- 2026-11-11Baird Downgrades Nvidia to Neutral and Slashes Its Price Target to $200 From $500
- 2026-11-11Shareholders Sue NVIDIA and Jensen Huang in Class Action Alleging Misleading Statements on Megaspeed Ties
- 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
- 2026-11-11New York Times Reports Nvidia Board Discussed Jensen Huang's Future
- 2026-11-11Times Names Nvidia VP Kimberly Powell in Huang Investigation; Board Reportedly to Meet on His Future
- 2026-11-11Follow-Up: Senators Warren and Coons Tell Three Top Officials to Preserve All Nvidia China Export Records
- 2026-11-11Bessent Reportedly Confronted Lutnick Over Why Megaspeed Is Not on the Entity List; Commerce Denies Any Clash
- 2026-11-12Reuters: Blacklisted Northwestern Polytechnical University Bought Nvidia H200 Chips via a Domestic Reseller; China's Foreign Ministry Responds
- 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
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Taiwan Revokes Alice Huang's Entry Permit, Interior Minister Says She Cannot Return
- 2026-11-12Jensen Huang Resigns as NVIDIA CEO, Effective Immediately: CFO Colette Kress Named Interim CEO as Board Launches Search
- 2026-11-12Nvidia Shares Plunge at Thursday's Open, Down More Than 14% Intraday as Market Value Dips Below $4 Trillion
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Himes Says Alice Huang's Role Is Still Unclear; Intelligence Chiefs Could Not Say Whether the FBI Has Opened a Case
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Trump Says Only One Man Can Succeed Jensen Huang at Nvidia: Apple's Tim Cook
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Singapore's MHA Says Evidence Against Alice Huang Was Insufficient; She Was Sternly Warned and Barred From Re-Entry for Giving Police Inaccurate Information
- 2026-11-12House Speaker Johnson Says Congress Is Forming a Consensus on Limiting Chip Exports to China, With Huang Expected to Testify Within a Week
- 2026-11-12China's Foreign Ministry Responds on Alice Huang: Mao Ning Says She Is Not Aware of Reports She Is in Beijing, Urges U.S. to Stop Fabricating a Spy Narrative
- 2026-11-12Jensen Huang Agrees to Testify Behind Closed Doors Before Thanksgiving, Foreign Affairs Chairman Mast Says
- 2026-11-12China's Foreign Ministry: Beijing and Washington in Close Contact on Leaders' Interactions, Ready to Implement Presidents' Consensus
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Democrats Vie to Lead Nvidia Probes; Incoming Foreign Affairs Chair Meeks Plans Dedicated Subcommittee
- 2026-11-12Bloomberg: Manhattan Federal Prosecutors Probe Whether Alice Huang-Linked Entities Smuggled Super Micro Products to China
- 2026-11-12Nvidia Interim CEO Kress Writes to Employees Expressing Confidence; Company-Wide Meeting Set for November 18
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Trump Calls Huang Resignation 'a Horrible Thing, So Sad,' Says Huang Is Going Through Hell
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Senate Banking Chair Scott Demands Testimony From Huang and Lutnick, Warns of Subpoenas
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Trump Called Huang on Tuesday to Urge Him to Fight for His Job, the New York Times Reports
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: White House Officials Are Discussing Commerce Secretary Lutnick's Future, Reuters Reports, as Lawmakers Step Up Export-Control CriticismThis story
- 2026-11-12Jensen Huang to Forfeit About $108 Million in Unvested Equity as His Fortune Falls by More Than $6 Billion in a Day
- 2026-11-12CNBC: Alice Huang's Shareholdings Lead to a Huawei Cloud Data Center, Tying Jensen Huang's Admitted Affair Partner to Nvidia's Biggest Rival in China
- 2026-11-12Fifth Person Charged in Singapore Nvidia Chip Server Case: Shi Bingzhe, 34, Faces 41 Charges
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Jeffries Calls for a Classified Briefing for All Lawmakers on Nvidia, Slams Trump's Cook Endorsement as Free-Market Interference
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Attorney General Blanche Says the Justice Department Has Reached No Conclusion on Whether Alice Huang Is a Spy; Trump Says the Same Day It May Not Have Been Determined
- 2026-11-12Follow-Up: Democratic Lawmakers Name Rubio and Lutnick as Potential Investigation Targets, Saying Both Must Answer What They Knew on Nvidia Chips
- 2026-11-13Follow-Up: Malaysia Probes Whether Megaspeed Unit SpeedMatrix Re-Exported Nvidia Chips; Trade Ministry Says It Never Cleared Either Company
- 2026-11-13Follow-Up: China's Foreign Ministry Answers on Alice Huang and Nvidia Chips: Spy Label Already Addressed, Not Aware of Shanghai Data Center Report
- 2026-11-13Nvidia Slides Another 3.8% to About $160 at Midday as U.S. Stocks Surrender Early Gains; Nasdaq Down 1.42%
- 2026-11-13Reuters Investigation: More Than $3 Billion in Chinese Super Intelligence (SI) Projects Rely on Restricted Nvidia Chips
- 2026-11-13Follow-Up: Commerce Secretary Lutnick Agrees to Testify Before the Senate Banking Committee on December 10; Spokesperson Calls It a Voluntary, Proactive Appearance
- 2026-11-13Follow-Up: Bessent Publicly Faults Commerce for Delay in Blacklisting Megaspeed; White House Says Trump Retains Full Confidence in Lutnick
- 2026-11-13Follow-Up: Huang Reportedly Retains Two Paul Weiss Litigation Partners as Personal Counsel; House Interview Letter Addressed Directly to His Lawyer
- 2026-11-13Nvidia Board Reportedly Approached Arm CEO Rene Haas on Succeeding Huang; Board Says No Candidate Has Been Formally Engaged
- 2026-11-13Colette Kress Steps Up: NVIDIA's Finance Chief of 13 Years Takes Over as Interim CEO, With Nov. 17 Earnings as First Test
- 2026-11-13Nvidia Closes Down 2.01% at $162.85, Market Value Below $4 Trillion as Nasdaq Falls 0.91%
- 2026-11-14Follow-Up: NVIDIA Employees Demand Huang's Return: Internal Post Draws 1,600+ Comments, WIRED Reports
- 2026-11-14Follow-Up: CZ, Sarah Guo and Garry Tan Speak Out as Huang's Resignation Stirs Debate in Chinese Entrepreneur Circles
