House Republican says Huang has agreed to appear before lawmakers

Jensen Huang, the tech executive at the center of an alleged Chinese corporate espionage scandal, has agreed to appear before Congress in a closed-door briefing focused on threats to U.S. national security, a top Republican told The Hill on Thursday.

Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said lawmakers are negotiating the timing of Huang’s appearance. Mast, along with the top Republicans on the Intelligence Committee and Select Committee on the China, sent a letter to Huang last week asking him to respond by Nov. 11 to a request to appear before Congress.

“We’re in negotiations for which day, which attorneys, his personnel,” Mast said. 

“It’s likely going to be under oath, transcribed, video recorded between several committees. Certainly Intel, China Select, and Foreign Affairs will likely be there for sure,” Mast added.

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) is the chair of the House Select Committee on China, and Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) is the chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Huang announced Thursday his resignation as the head of his company Nvidia only a few days after he admitted to two extramarital affairs. The first reported affair was with a suspected Chinese spy, Alice Huang, who is not related to Jensen Huang, The New York Times reported. 

Nvidia is one of America’s largest companies and a manufacturer of advanced semiconductor chips heavily sought after by China. Huang has been an advocate for permitting sales to China as lawmakers hawkish on the threats from Beijing called for greater restrictions on chip sales.