WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he spoke to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang after the tech company announced it is investigating his affair with a woman alleged to be a Chinese spy.
Speaking at an impromptu press briefing, Trump told reporters that he called Huang “to see if he’s feeling all right”.
“He had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy,” Trump said of Huang, adding, “I really believe him.”
“We’ll look into it,” Trump added. “I know the FBI is looking into it, in terms of something else, and I think that he’ll be in good shape.”
Nvidia has announced on Sunday it has begun an investigation into its CEO amid allegations that he was the subject of an intelligence-gathering effort by the Chinese.
“The NVIDIA Board is initiating an independent investigation in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort,” the company said in a statement Sunday, adding that a “committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the investigation.”
“While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised, the Board’s inquiry will examine all available information,” according to the statement.
“The Board prioritizes U.S. national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders,” the statement further said.
The New York Times reported late last month that Huang, who runs the world’s largest computer chip manufacturer, was targeted by a Chinese espionage plot centered around a woman they identified as Alice Huang, whom U.S. intelligence officials believe was giving information to Beijing.
The Chinese government has denied the allegations, calling them “baseless and purely slanderous smears against China.”
“I was amazed, because I view him as a very high-quality person,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “He’s an amazing guy. I hope there’s no problem.”
