In a morning interview on CNBC, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused the Commerce Department of stalling efforts to place Megaspeed, a major buyer of Nvidia AI chips, on the Commerce Department’s entity list. Bessent said multiple agencies, including Treasury, the Department of Defense, USTR and State, had supported the move for months, but “Commerce has the pen” and its internal process was slowing the action.

Administration’s Position

President Donald Trump told reporters he had not been briefed about the alleged Chinese spy connection during a May trip to Alaska, though he acknowledged reading about the issue over time. He reiterated his confidence in Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, noting that Huang “had no idea that she was a spy” and that the administration believes the allegations remain unproven.

Trump added that if the woman in question were proven to be a spy, appropriate action would be taken, but emphasized that the matter had not yet been definitively determined.

Commerce Secretary Under Scrutiny

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who oversees the Bureau of Industry and Security and holds final authority on adding companies to the export blacklist, has faced criticism from lawmakers over his personal ties to Huang and his prior support for expanded chip sales to China.

Democratic Representative Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania argued that Lutnick appeared to prioritize business relationships over national‑security concerns, citing the $4 billion worth of Nvidia chips already sold to Megaspeed.

Congressional Action

Three House committees, including the Foreign Affairs Committee, have issued subpoenas for both Huang and Lutnick to testify. Committee chairs set an 8 p.m. Friday deadline for Huang to confirm whether he will appear for a voluntary, closed‑door interview.

With President Trump slated to return to China next week, both parties are pressing for answers on how intelligence warnings were handled and whether U.S. export controls are keeping pace with emerging security threats.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.