Rubio Reportedly Recasts CIA Report in Memo on Nvidia’s Huang

Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio reportedly used a CIA report to draft his own warning to President Donald Trump about Jensen Huang’s relationship with a suspected Chinese spy, a person familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

The newspaper said the memo recast the agency’s reporting “in his own more assertive terms,” and that a leak of its findings set off a chain of events that culminated in the Nvidia chief executive’s resignation on Thursday.

Memo Built on CIA Report

The Post published the account on Nov. 13, attributing those details to a single anonymous source describing confidential intelligence.

U.S. spies suspect Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman and Megaspeed executive, of being a Chinese intelligence asset. She is not related to Jensen Huang, and the allegation has not been publicly proven.

Nvidia and the White House did not respond to a request for comment. The CIA declined to comment.

Leak and Resignation

The newspaper said the disclosure of Rubio’s findings helped trigger the scandal that preceded Huang’s exit.

Huang had apologized for an affair with Alice Huang, and Nvidia’s board opened an investigation. He resigned after reports of a second relationship with a company employee.

The board named chief financial officer Colette Kress interim CEO and has said it had no reason to believe company secrets or national security were compromised.

Nvidia announced Huang’s resignation on Nov. 12.

A Fight Over China Policy

The Post framed the episode as a “shadow war” over Trump’s ear on China, after Huang won unusual access to the president and helped secure approval to sell advanced AI chips to Beijing.

A former official, speaking anonymously about Huang’s opponents, told the newspaper: “They wanted to destroy the influence Jensen had over the president.”

At the G7 meetings in Paris this week, Rubio declined several times to answer questions about his role. On talks with Beijing over AI, he said: “The Chinese system is always going to act in the best interest of the Chinese system, and the United States will always act in the best interest of the United States. I work for the American people.”

Earlier Warning to Trump

Earlier reporting, including by The New York Times, said Rubio oversaw a classified memo in spring 2026, circulated before Trump’s May trip to China.

Rubio also reportedly briefed Trump, including aboard Air Force One when Huang joined the visit in Alaska, but the president did not distance himself then.

After the resignation, Trump called Huang a “legend” who had “done a fantastic job.” Hillary Clinton has predicted that Trump will accept a denial from Xi Jinping when the two meet.