Conservative predicts who Trump will scapegoat as Nvidia scandal unravels 'at warp speed'

The Bulwark’s William Kristol bets Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will be the scapegoat in the Nvidia scandal — but adds that the scandal truly belongs to President Donald Trump.

In the outlet’s Morning Shots newsletter, Kristol writes that the scandal is unraveling “at warp speed.” He recounts New York Times reporting that U.S. intelligence believes a Megaspeed executive, Alice Huang, has a close tie to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and is probably a Chinese intelligence asset, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Trump, who kept up his relationship with Huang. Kristol says Nvidia’s board announced Huang’s resignation Thursday.

Kristol argues the Trump administration won’t investigate itself. He says Commerce slowed action against companies suspected of diverting chips and hasn’t added a company to its restriction list in more than a year. He cites a Washington Post report that the Justice Department and FBI turned down Singapore’s requests for help.

Ultimately, Trump is the central figure, Kristol writes.

He points to an April 2025 Mar-a-Lago dinner where Huang appears to have talked Trump into postponing chip curbs, Nvidia’s $25 million ballroom donation, and Trump’s praise for Huang.

Kristol says Congress must dig in and notes Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Richard Neal have written to Lutnick.

Colleague Andrew Egger concedes the story is hard for voters to follow, like the Ukraine affair, but argues Democrats should press it because it fits themes that worked in the midterms: insiders rigging the economy for friends.