Advocacy Groups Urge Democrats to Probe Nvidia and Trump Ties

The letter, sent to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, was signed by Guardrails Action, Indivisible, the American Federation of Teachers and seven other groups. It said Jensen Huang’s departure as Nvidia chief executive should not end scrutiny of the company. Huang stepped down a day earlier after reports of two extramarital affairs, one with a subordinate and another with a woman US intelligence agencies had flagged for possible ties to China’s government.

The coalition cited Nvidia’s reported $25 million contribution to Trump’s ballroom and Huang’s trips with Trump, including on Air Force One to China and to a state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It also pointed to Megaspeed, a company led by the woman identified in reports as Alice Huang and under investigation over alleged smuggling of restricted Nvidia chips to China. The groups said Trump ignored warnings and that a Commerce Department inquiry was halted after intervention by Nvidia’s general counsel.

The organizations want Nvidia, the White House and the Commerce Department to preserve communications on export approvals, the Megaspeed investigation, intelligence warnings about Alice Huang and the ballroom contribution. They also called for public hearings within the first 30 days of the new Congress, with sworn testimony from Huang, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler. The groups said Democrats should issue subpoenas if documents or testimony are withheld.

Separately, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) have opened an inquiry into what they called a Trump administration “scheme” to disguise an export tax as a national-security tariff action benefiting Nvidia and China. In a letter to Lutnick, they said his department approved sales to Chinese firms with government and military links, including alleged “cutout” companies with no physical presence at their listed addresses.

CNN reported that Trump advisers had begun discussing whether Lutnick should be fired. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed him for what Bessent called “leakage” of advanced Nvidia chips to China, while Axios reported Lutnick had repeatedly opposed efforts to crack down on suspected diversion. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said Lutnick should resign or be fired.