Howard Lutnick agrees to testify as bipartisan pressure grows over Nvidia scandal

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is under scrutiny from members of Congress in both parties.Alex Wong / GettyShareAdd NBC News to GoogleNov. 12, 2026, 9:45 PM ESTBy Kyla GuilfoilFacing bipartisan pressure, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick agreed Thursday to testify before Congress over national security concerns regarding the expanding Nvidia scandal.

The announcement comes after Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., chair of the Senate Banking Committee, sent letters Thursday to Lutnick and Jensen Huang, who resigned as Nvidia’s CEO earlier in the day after reports that he had an affair with a suspected Chinese spy.

“Secretary Lutnick has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before the Banking Committee to address their questions,” Kristen Eichamer, a spokesperson for Lutnick, told NBC News.

In the letters, Scott asked that Huang and Lutnick voluntarily appear before the Senate Banking Committee to testify on Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, respectively.

Scott requested that Lutnick testify “for a public hearing regarding recent public reports about Nvidia and the Department of Commerce’s role that raises national security concerns.”

“Given the Department of Commerce’s central role in issuing and enforcing export control regulations, your testimony before the Committee will be essential in our oversight of these efforts,” Scott wrote.

Representatives for Huang did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Scott’s letter.

Jensen Huang resigned Thursday as CEO of Nvidia.Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg via GettyEarlier Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters that Lutnick should appear voluntarily, though if he doesn’t, “He may need to be subpoenaed.”

Blumenthal said one thing he wants to know is, “Were export controls relaxed?”

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said in an interview with Fox News that he’d like Lutnick to testify before Congress “ASAP,” noting concerns about chips being exported that should not have.

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Huang’s extramarital activity has added to concerns that Nvidia chips may have been smuggled or illegally accessed by AI companies in China. Nvidia has said that it complies with U.S. laws on exports.

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday that Lutnick “certainly should” testify before Congress.

“I think he should be given the opportunity and the strong encouragement to do it without a subpoena,” Cramer said. “If a subpoena becomes necessary, that would be too bad. But yes, he absolutely should.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a statement that Lutnick needs to “explain why they have not closed export control loopholes and act today to ensure our advanced technology is not fueling China’s military.”

The White House has defended Lutnick, writing in a statement that the president “maintains complete confidence in the secretary and his ability to carry out the position as the most transformative Commerce Secretary in modern history.”

Huang has previously praised Lutnick’s role in uplifting the U.S. efforts to lead in AI.

“Howard is the person I talk to most in the administration — he’s on top of the technology and learning the industry quickly,” Huang said while appearing at a Nvidia panel alongside Lutnick in September 2025.

Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, Gabe Amo of Rhode Island and Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California — top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee — signed a letter Monday demanding answers from Lutnick over the Trump administration’s “approval of advanced AI chip exports,” noting “concerning links to China” and “alarming reports of potential Chinese intelligence ties” to Huang.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said Thursday that Huang had agreed to brief lawmakers, though the date and venue were still being negotiated. In a new letter to Huang on Thursday, Mast asked that he appear before the committee on Dec. 1 for a “closed-door, transcribed interview,” adding that a subpoena would be issued if Huang did not confirm the interview by Friday evening.

Some members of Congress said they want answers from Lutnick much sooner than next month, when the Senate Banking Committee has scheduled its hearings.

“Come here before Thanksgiving. Give us the facts,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said Thursday.

Tillis, who is leaving Congress in January, said it would be wise for Lutnick to testify to Congress now, before Democrats take control of both chambers next year, adding the secretary “should recognize right now he’s got a lot of Republicans that are pulling for him.”

“I’m not one of them, but he does,” Tillis said. “So it would seem to me that he would do himself a favor by getting in a room with Republicans, whether it’s a committee hearing or not, and lay out the facts so that he’s got a group of people that are generally going to take at face value what he says.”

Kyla GuilfoilKyla Guilfoil is a breaking news reporter on the politics team for NBC News Digital.