Rubio oversaw classified memo alleging Nvidia CEO’s ties to suspected Chinese intelligence operative: Report

Yasin Gungor

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the drafting of a classified intelligence memo warning senior Trump administration officials that Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang had developed a close relationship with an alleged Chinese intelligence operative, the New York Times reported Sunday.

The warning, drafted under Rubio’s supervision in the spring of this year, circulated among national security officials holding high-level clearances ahead of a bilateral state visit to China in May by US President Donald Trump.

The document stemmed from electronic surveillance targeting Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who is unrelated to the Nvidia chief. She worked as a senior executive at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data center company that purchased advanced artificial intelligence processors while under federal investigation for illicitly smuggling semiconductors into mainland China.

When intelligence officials requested the unmasking of an American citizen seen in intercepted communications showing an intimate relationship with her, the review identified the executive as Jensen Huang. Counterintelligence agencies concluded that China’s Ministry of State Security had recruited Alice Huang as an operative.

Jensen Huang was initially excluded from the official business delegation traveling with Trump to China. However, after noticing media reports highlighting the absence, Trump intervened directly,…