WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump stood by embattled Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, saying the Big Tech boss is a “fine person” despite his recent admission of an extramarital affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy.
He also called Mr. Huang “an honorable guy.”
The president made the comments Sunday as news broke about the Nvidia scandal.
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Monday rejected the allegations that it orchestrated a honeypot spy trap for Mr. Huang, calling the story “unsubstantiated” and “nothing but smears against China.”
Nvidia shares dropped about 5% in early trading Monday.
Nvidia said Sunday that a committee of independent directors and outside legal counsel would oversee an internal probe into whether Mr. Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The board said in a statement it has “no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised,” but that its inquiry would examine all available information.
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Mr. Huang, 63, will remain CEO during the investigation.
The board said he “fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating with it.”
Mr. Huang acknowledged an extramarital relationship in a letter posted on Nvidia’s website, without naming the woman. “I was unfaithful to my wife,” he said in a message. “My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.”
Mr. Trump said the executive “probably has an excuse for it. We’ll have to hear it.”
The president also said he would even consider taking Mr. Huang on a planned trip to Asia next week. He said he would “certainly take him. … I haven’t heard he’s done anything wrong.”
• Mary McCue Bell reported from Washington.
SEE ALSO: China dismisses Nvidia CEO spy claims as ‘smears’
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