On Wednesday, an ex-NSA analyst warned Fox News that President Donald Trump’s entanglement with a raging spy scandal could pose a “long-term” threat to the country. According to security and espionage expert Ira Winkler, there are looming questions about how long a spy in Trump’s orbit had access to his allies — and what information she may have gathered.
Winkler was on Fox to discuss the shocking “honeytrap” scandal surrounding Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. In recent weeks, it’s been revealed that Huang had been engaged in an extramarital affair with an alleged Chinese spy, who is accused of facilitating the smuggling of banned microchips to China, and potentially gathering information for the U.S. adversary. Further complicating the situation is the fact that Huang is not merely the head of one of the world’s most important tech companies, but has also forged a close relationship with Trump over the past two years. Jensen even joined Trump for a summit in China — an invitation the president extended regardless of having learned of the spy plot in an intelligence briefing last year. According to Winkler, that access could be a problem.
“It does create questions,” explained Winkler. “It's not just one time, hey, I'm blackmailing you… They had long-term access and clear cooperation in many cases.” As Winkler notes, it appears that the spy may have used Jensen to “avoid the export restrictions” and “to potentially get information regarding Donald Trump's mindset.” Jensen, Winkler reminds, “did have regular access to Donald Trump.”
The scandal has prompted bipartisan outrage, and the president announced that the FBI opened an investigation earlier this week. For his part, when asked about the matter by the press, Trump told reporters that he had asked Jensen, “'Did you have any idea she was a spy?' He said, 'I had no idea she was a spy,' and I really believe him." Trump added that he thought Huang was an "honourable guy and I feel very confident that he will be in good shape" after the investigations.
On Monday, a prominent China researcher with the right-wing think tank Galestone Institute, Gordon Chang, warned Fox News that Huang’s proximity to Trump raises questions about the administration’s involvement in the scheme. “Why were they permitting export?” Chang asked, referring to Nvidia’s advanced microchips that are banned from export to China. “Why were they issuing export licenses to what looks like shell companies?” What’s more, argued Chang, “President Trump has known about this for a year, and during that year, if China did get Blackwell chips, I think the president owes an explanation to the American people why he did not act, because this is a critical national security violation.” As more information comes to light, Chang asserted, Huang may not be the only one facing consequences. “I think you're going to be seeing people at the Commerce Department being forced to leave,” he predicted. “Maybe even the White House staff.”