US Justice Dept yet to establish if Alice Huang was working for China amid Nvidia fallout

US Attorney General Todd Blanche has said that the Justice Department has not reached a conclusion on whether Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman linked to former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, was working as a Chinese spy. The FBI is investigating claims that she had connections with the Chinese government, Reuters reported.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Blanche confirmed that the FBI was looking into the allegations, saying the investigation was ongoing.

US President Donald Trump also addressed the controversy in an interview released later on Thursday. Asked whether Jensen Huang should have stepped down, Trump said the key question was whether Alice Huang was a spy.

"The big thing is, was the woman a spy? And I don't know if that's been determined yet. But if the woman was a spy, yes. If the woman was not a spy, perhaps it would be different," Trump told the "Straight Shooter" podcast, according to Reuters.

Trump also had personally called Jensen Huang on Tuesday and urged him not to give in to pressure to step down as Nvidia's chief executive, The New York Times reported. The call came just days before the chipmaker announced Huang's departure amid the growing controversy.

Also Read: Ex-CEO Jensen Huang accused of having a third affair, with another Nvidia employee

Three alleged relationships emerge

Huang's departure came amid an investigation by Nvidia's board into whether he had become the target of a foreign intelligence operation. The probe followed allegations involving Alice Huang, whom US officials suspect of having links to Chinese intelligence.

Separately, The New York Times reported that Jensen Huang had an alleged affair with a senior executive who directly reported to him.

A Reuters report on Thursday, citing two sources, also said Huang had been accused of having an "intimate" relationship with a third woman, another employee at the company. This brought a third alleged relationship into the controversy.

Nvidia's board announced Huang's departure on Thursday, November 12, ending his 33-year tenure as the company's chief executive.

Huang transformed Nvidia into one of the world's most valuable technology companies during his time at the helm. His exit came after days of speculation over his future as allegations of corporate misconduct and possible foreign intelligence links triggered an internal investigation.