The key facts

  • Attorney General Todd Blanche rejected the suggestion that the Justice Department had established that Alice Huan engaged in spying
  • The FBI is looking into the matter, but no details of the investigation were disclosed
  • Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia chief on Thursday amid reports of alleged ties

Justice Department: no conclusions reached on Huan

The US Department of Justice has reached no conclusions on whether Chinese businesswoman Alice Huan is an agent of Chinese intelligence, Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday. He was speaking at a press conference following the announcement of an international law enforcement operation against darknet traffickers in opioids and fentanyl, where he was asked when the department learned of Huan's possible involvement with the intelligence services.

Blanche rejected the reporter's premise

Blanche rejected the very framing of the question: 'Your first question presumes something I never said and that I have no reason to believe is true. You presumed that the Justice Department has determined that she is in fact a spy. Nobody has said that. I certainly have not said it.' According to him, the investigation has produced no conclusions about who she is or whether she has ties to the intelligence services: 'Neither the Justice Department, nor I, nor FBI Director Kash Patel have reached any conclusions about who she is or who she is not.' He confirmed that the FBI is looking into the matter but declined to comment further.

Context: resignation of the Nvidia chief

The statement came against the backdrop of the resignation of Nvidia chief Jensen Huang on Thursday following reports of alleged extramarital affairs, including, according to reports, a relationship with Alice Huan, whose possible ties to Chinese intelligence have raised questions about national security risks for the chipmaker. According to CNBC, Alice Huan held stakes in companies that benefited Huawei, Nvidia's main competitor in the Chinese market. Beijing rejects the claims that she worked as a spy.