Commerce paused Megaspeed chip probe after Nvidia contact, NYT reports

A story reported Wednesday says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in the Situation Room over Megaspeed, a customer of the chip maker Nvidia. The report says Bessent was upset that Megaspeed was not on a list of firms that pose China security risks. The Gop Files could not load that report and has not independently confirmed the account. The facts below come from coverage we did read.

What the reporting shows

Megaspeed is a Singapore data center company that touts its Nvidia partnership ¹. The Commerce Department's investigation into the company was moved to the Justice Department after a top Nvidia executive contacted Commerce officials ¹.

On tapeBloomberg Television · Nov 10

▶1:31

According to the New York Times, as summarized by The Next Web, Nvidia's general counsel, Tim Teter, emailed Commerce investigators in August 2025. The agents declined a meeting and forwarded the emails to a senior Commerce official, Jeff Kessler ². The Justice Department is reported to be running a criminal inquiry ². The Next Web said it had not verified that detail ².

Megaspeed denies smuggling chips and says it is running its own investigation ². Nvidia's spokesman said the company contacts officials to "provide information we have gathered from the field" ². No charges have been reported in the coverage we read.

From Channel GOPPresident cozying with China and Russia, insulting alliesAndy Beshear · 152 plays · captioned, with the source named

The spy question

The scrutiny grew after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted an intimate relationship with Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive. U.S. officials reportedly believe she gathered information for Beijing ¹². The two are not related ². China's government calls the spy claim unsubstantiated ¹.

Nvidia's board opened an independent investigation and said it saw no reason to believe national security secrets were compromised ³. Lutnick reportedly received a classified memo on the relationship before Commerce approved chip sales tied to China ³. Commerce did not comment on that report ³. Top House Foreign Affairs Democrats have pressed Lutnick to explain the administration's chip approvals ³.

On tapeBloomberg Television · Nov 10

▶3:13

President Trump has defended Huang. He called him "a very honorable man" ¹. House committee chairs have asked Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on November 18 ².

The warning from a Republican

Concerns about Megaspeed are not new. In October 2025, Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, wrote to Lutnick about the company. He said billions of dollars of U.S. chips had flowed to it and wrote, "I respectfully request the Commerce Department investigate Megaspeed" ⁴.

I respectfully request the Commerce Department investigate Megaspeed

A Commerce spokesman told the Times the department handled this and other cases strictly by the book. The Times also reported that other agencies proposed adding Megaspeed to the Entity List, Commerce's trade blacklist, and that Commerce has not done so.

That matters because the Entity List is a main tool for keeping advanced American chips out of Chinese military and spy programs. If the account of a Bessent-Lutnick clash holds up, it would suggest officials inside the administration disagree about how hard to enforce those limits. That is analysis, not a confirmed finding.

Next up is the November 18 House briefing, if Huang agrees to attend ². Democrats take control of the House in January and have said they plan oversight of the administration.

The Record

1. Oct 14, 2025Sen. Tom Cotton's office announced a letter asking Lutnick to investigate Megaspeed ⁴.
2. Nov 8, 2026Nvidia announced an independent investigation after Huang admitted the relationship ¹.
3. Nov 9, 2026Trump called Huang "a very honorable man"; reports said the Megaspeed probe moved to the Justice Department after Nvidia's outreach ¹².
4. Nov 18, 2026House chairs asked Huang to attend a closed-door briefing ².

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<h2>Commerce paused Megaspeed chip probe after Nvidia contact, NYT reports</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/commerce-paused-megaspeed-chip-probe-after-nvidia-contact-nyt-reports">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.</em></p> <p>A story reported Wednesday says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in the Situation Room over Megaspeed, a customer of the chip maker Nvidia. The report says Bessent was upset that Megaspeed was not on a list of firms that pose China security risks. The Gop Files could not load that report and has not independently confirmed the account. The facts below come from coverage we did read.</p> <h2>What the reporting shows</h2> <p>Megaspeed is a Singapore data center company that touts its Nvidia partnership . The Commerce Department&#39;s investigation into the company was moved to the Justice Department after a top Nvidia executive contacted Commerce officials .</p> <p>According to the New York Times, as summarized by The Next Web, Nvidia&#39;s general counsel, Tim Teter, emailed Commerce investigators in August 2025. The agents declined a meeting and forwarded the emails to a senior Commerce official, Jeff Kessler . The Justice Department is reported to be running a criminal inquiry . The Next Web said it had not verified that detail .</p> <p>Megaspeed denies smuggling chips and says it is running its own investigation . Nvidia&#39;s spokesman said the company contacts officials to &quot;provide information we have gathered from the field&quot; . No charges have been reported in the coverage we read.</p> <h2>The spy question</h2> <p>The scrutiny grew after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted an intimate relationship with Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive. U.S. officials reportedly believe she gathered information for Beijing . The two are not related . China&#39;s government calls the spy claim unsubstantiated .</p> <p>Nvidia&#39;s board opened an independent investigation and said it saw no reason to believe national security secrets were compromised . Lutnick reportedly received a classified memo on the relationship before Commerce approved chip sales tied to China . Commerce did not comment on that report . Top House Foreign Affairs Democrats have pressed Lutnick to explain the administration&#39;s chip approvals .</p> <p>President Trump has defended Huang. He called him &quot;a very honorable man&quot; . House committee chairs have asked Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on November 18 .</p> <h2>The warning from a Republican</h2> <p>Concerns about Megaspeed are not new. In October 2025, Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, wrote to Lutnick about the company. He said billions of dollars of U.S. chips had flowed to it and wrote, &quot;I respectfully request the Commerce Department investigate Megaspeed&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>I respectfully request the Commerce Department investigate Megaspeed</p><p>&mdash; Tom Cotton, U.S. senator, Republican-Arkansas</p></blockquote> <p>A Commerce spokesman told the Times the department handled this and other cases strictly by the book. The Times also reported that other agencies proposed adding Megaspeed to the Entity List, Commerce&#39;s trade blacklist, and that Commerce has not done so.</p> <p>That matters because the Entity List is a main tool for keeping advanced American chips out of Chinese military and spy programs. If the account of a Bessent-Lutnick clash holds up, it would suggest officials inside the administration disagree about how hard to enforce those limits. That is analysis, not a confirmed finding.</p> <p>Next up is the November 18 House briefing, if Huang agrees to attend . Democrats take control of the House in January and have said they plan oversight of the administration.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/commerce-paused-megaspeed-chip-probe-after-nvidia-contact-nyt-reports">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/commerce-paused-megaspeed-chip-probe-after-nvidia-contact-nyt-reports.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Commerce Department chip inquiry was halted after Nvidia intervention” (2026-11-09). inquirer.com/news/nation-world/nvidia-investigation-commerce
2. The Next Web, “Commerce halted its Megaspeed probe after Nvidia stepped in, NYT reports” (2026-11-09). thenextweb.com/news/megaspeed-probe-commerce-nvidia-lawyer-j
3. Raw Story, “Howard Lutnick in hot seat over secret warning on Nvidia CEO's suspected spy lover” (2026-11-10). rawstory.com/howard-lutnick-jensen-huang/
4. Sen. Tom Cotton's office, “Cotton to Lutnick: Investigate Chinese Government Spin-off Megaspeed for Skirting U.S. Export Laws” (2025-10-14). cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-to-lutnick-inve

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