Was Marco Rubio behind Jensen Huang's downfall?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly rewrote an intelligence assessment prepared by the CIA about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy, using more forceful language in a memo that ultimately contributed to Huang's downfall, according to a Washington Post report.

Rubio, who also serves as President Donald Trump's national security adviser, issued a memo warning Trump about Huang's relationship with the woman, drawing on a CIA report. However, a person familiar with the matter told the Washington Post that Rubio recast the agency's findings in his own, more assertive terms while preparing the memo. "Huang's downfall, which has the potential to mark a dramatic shift in power, was ultimately set in motion by one of the capital's most influential China hardliners, national security adviser and Secretary of State Marci Rubio," the Washington Post report said.

The memo's findings were leaked to the media, triggering a controversy that culminated in Huang's resignation from Nvidia on Thursday. Huang had developed an unusually close relationship with Trump and successfully lobbied the president to allow Nvidia to sell some of its AI chips to China. His position put him at odds with national security officials and China hawks who believed that access to advanced American technology could strengthen Beijing's military and technological capabilities. Some officials within the administration reportedly resented Huang's influence over Trump and wanted to weaken his position, the Post reported, citing two former administration officials.

"They wanted to destroy the influence Jensen had over the president," a former official told the newspaper. CNN reported on November 12 that CIA officials were "not yet convinced" that intercepted communications showed Alice Huang knowingly passed information to Beijing, while other officials still regard her as a counterintelligence risk. Commentator Arnaud Bertrand argued on X that, taken together, the two reports (CNN and Post) suggest the "spy" framing came from Rubio's rewrite rather than from the CIA.

At a G7 meeting in Paris this week, Rubio declined several times to answer questions about his role in unraveling the scandal. Asked whether the spying allegations changed his view on negotiating 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."