Lutnick Agrees to Appear Before Senate Banking as Chair Requests Huang Testimony

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to appear before the Senate Banking Committee, and Senator Tim Scott has asked Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang to appear before the same panel, according to reports from The New York Times and The Hill.

The Hill reported that Lutnick has "proactively agreed to appear voluntarily" before the committee, according to a statement from his spokesperson, Kristen Eichamer. The report said the appearance follows bipartisan concerns about what its summary calls the Nvidia spy scandal and the agency's enforcement of chip export controls. The summary does not describe the allegations underlying the scandal, and it does not say what the committee intends to examine.

The New York Times reported that Scott said he had requested that Huang and Lutnick appear before the committee. Its headline describes the two men as having been "summoned," a word the summary does not use. The summary of that report describes a request, not a subpoena or other compulsory order.

The Hill reported that Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) sent letters to both men. The summary of that report is cut off before it describes the contents of the letters or any response from Huang.

The accounts differ on Huang's status. The New York Times reported only that Scott requested his appearance, and The Hill's summary does not say whether Huang has agreed to testify. Neither summary gives a date, location, or format for either appearance.

Sources: The New York Times: Huang and Lutnick Summoned to Testify Before Congress; The Hill: Lutnick agrees to testify before Congress amid bipartisan concerns.