US DOJ has yet to determine whether Alice Huang is a Chinese spy: official

DOJ has made no determination

Attorney General Todd Blanche said Thursday that the US Department of Justice had reached no conclusion on whether Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman reportedly linked to former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, has ties to Chinese intelligence.

Blanche made the remarks at a news conference following the announcement of an international law enforcement operation targeting opioid and fentanyl traffickers operating on the dark web. A reporter asked when the Justice Department first learned that Huang might be a suspected Chinese intelligence asset.

Blanche rejects spy determination

The attorney general rejected the suggestion that the department had established Huang was a spy, telling the reporter: “Your first question assumes something that I have never said and that I don't know to be true. So you assumed that the DOJ has learned that she is in fact a spy. Nobody said that. I certainly haven't said that,” Blanche told a reporter.

He said the investigation had produced no conclusions about the woman's identity or possible intelligence connections. “There's no conclusions reached by the Department of Justice or by me or by (FBI) Director (Kash) Patel around who she is or is not,” he said.

FBI examining the matter

Blanche confirmed that the FBI was looking into the matter but declined to provide further details about the investigation. “Of course, the FBI looks at things like this and is looking at it, and beyond that, I don't have a comment,” he added.

The comments came after the Justice Department official was asked about when the department became aware of Huang's possible connection to Chinese intelligence. Blanche's remarks confirmed that no determination had been made regarding her status.

Nvidia scrutiny and China ties

The Nvidia chief resigned Thursday following revelations of alleged extramarital affairs, including a reported relationship with Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang. Her possible ties to Chinese intelligence have drawn scrutiny and raised questions about the chipmaker's national security exposure.

Alice Huang has held stakes in companies that have benefited Huawei, the chipmaker's leading rival in the Chinese market, according to a CNBC report. Beijing has denied claims that she is working as a spy.