Kennedy Rips Nvidia Scandal as “Intergalactic Freak Show,” Demands Answers on $4 Billion Chip Sale to Suspected Chinese Spy’s Company
Senator John Kennedy unloaded on the unfolding scandal surrounding former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during a CNN interview, calling the situation an “intergalactic freak show” after reports that Huang had an affair with a woman U.S. intelligence has scrutinized as a potential Chinese spy.
“Well, short answer yes, long answer hell yes,” Kennedy said when asked if he was surprised. “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, you ought to make sure it’s not with a Chinese spy. I mean, check their LinkedIn page, for God’s sakes.”
He went further, noting the allegations that Huang then “cheated on the spy,” before pivoting to what he called the more serious issue: national security and export controls. “Apparently, the Department of Commerce greenlit the sale of four billion dollars in advanced chips to the spy’s company,” Kennedy said. “And I want to know… I’d like to hear from the Secretary of the Treasury and more to the point, the Secretary of Commerce. 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?”
Kennedy highlighted Huang’s outsized role in shaping U.S. policy. “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.”
When asked whether Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick should lose his job, Kennedy did not rule it out. “Well, I don’t know yet. If I were the Secretary, I would have called a press conference already… I would have already called a press conference and told the American people through the media, look, I’ll be here as long as you want, I’m prepared to answer all questions.”
Huang resigned as Nvidia’s CEO this week amid the dual scandals of the alleged spy affair and a separate reported relationship with a subordinate. He is scheduled to testify before Congress before Thanksgiving as lawmakers dig into whether advanced American chips ended up in the wrong hands.