Politics · November 13, 2026
Bessent blames Commerce for not restricting Nvidia customer’s chip exports
FreeGet stories like this compared, every morning at 7.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has publicly criticized Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for the failure to blacklist Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based Nvidia customer. During an appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday, Bessent stated that the Treasury, State, and War Departments, along with the USTR, had favored placing Megaspeed on the U.S. entity list for months, but noted that the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security "has the pen" on such restrictions. The controversy follows the resignation of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang amid a scandal involving an alleged affair with a Megaspeed executive suspected of being a Chinese spy. Secretary Lutnick has agreed to testify before the Senate Banking Committee next month as discussions regarding his role in chip policy and his job security intensify.
Read the original coverage
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his department was in favor of placing restrictions on Megaspeed International for months, but Howard Lutnick’s Commerce Department didn’t act
Read at Wall Street Journal ↗Bessent blames Commerce for not restricting Nvidia customer’s chip exports
Read at Washington Post ↗- NBC NewsMBFC: Left-Center
Commerce Secretary Lutnick agrees to testify about Nvidia
Read at NBC News ↗ Lutnick Under Fire as Bessent Blames Commerce in Nvidia Crisis
Read at Bloomberg ↗- SemaforMBFC: Least Biased
Bessent knocks Lutnick on Megaspeed
Read at Semafor ↗ - Just the NewsMBFC: Far Right
Bessent blames Commerce Department for handling of Nvidia as scrutiny over sales to China grows
Read at Just the News ↗ - The Daily BeastMBFC: Left
Trump Goon Throws Lutnick Under Bus Over Sex-Mad CEO Scandal
Read at The Daily Beast ↗ - NewsweekMBFC: Right-Center
Scott Bessent Puts Howard Lutnick on Spot Over Nvidia Scandal
Read at Newsweek ↗ - The Daily CallerMBFC: Right
Bessent Throws Lutnick Under The Bus On Trump’s Chip Export Fiasco
Read at The Daily Caller ↗ - The BulwarkMBFC: Right-Center
Bessent vs. Lutnick: Trump’s Cabinet Feud Explodes Into Public View
Read at The Bulwark ↗
Reported across the spectrum
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that his department and several other agencies supported blacklisting Megaspeed for months.
- Bessent noted that the Commerce Department holds the final authority ('has the pen') to place companies on the entity list.
- The scandal involves Singapore-based Megaspeed and former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
- Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify before Congress next month regarding the matter.
Reported by only some outlets
- Bessent specifically mentioned the Department of War, the State Department, and the USTR as agencies that supported restrictions.
- Lutnick is scheduled to testify on December 10, following a request from Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott.
- Some White House officials have reportedly discussed whether Lutnick should be removed from his post.
- Bessent reportedly confronted Lutnick over the lack of action last Thursday.
Left-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
emphasize the public nature of the 'infighting' within the administration and portray the incident as Bessent 'throwing Lutnick under the bus' amid a 'national security scandal'.
Right-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
highlight the 'permissive' nature of current chip sales to China and focus on the procedural delays caused by the Commerce Department despite pressure from other agencies.
Centrist outlets tend to focus on…
focus on the specific jurisdictional tensions between the Treasury and Commerce Departments regarding export controls and the resulting scrutiny of Lutnick's leadership.
Where coverage diverges
Coverage diverges along left/right lines — see Framing tab for specifics.
FreeDaily Brief newsletter
Get the 5-minute Daily Brief, with the topics you pick.
The Daily Brief is free
About these outlets
- The Washington PostAllSides: Lean Left (News)MBFC: Left-Center
- The Wall Street JournalAllSides: Center (News)MBFC: Right-Center
- BloombergAllSides: CenterMBFC: Left-Center
- Just the NewsMBFC: Far Right
- The Daily BeastMBFC: Left
- NewsweekMBFC: Right-Center
- The Daily CallerMBFC: Right
- The BulwarkMBFC: Right-Center
- SemaforMBFC: Least Biased
- NBC NewsMBFC: Left-Center
CadNews does not determine absolute truth or endorse political viewpoints. It compares publicly available reporting, identifies shared facts, highlights framing differences, and flags uncertainty.