Good morning. Less than 12 hours after Jensen Huang was ousted as (Nvidia's) CEO, congressional Democrats spun their scrutiny to a high-profile member of the Trump administration: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Top Democrats on two key congressional panels sent Lutnick a letter saying they had started an investigation into the Trump administration's export plans as they relate to Nvidia.
This might sound like pretty wonky stuff, but it's a multibillion-dollar mess that involves national security, trade policy, and-according to Democrats-an opening for wrongdoing and corruption.
Just a couple of days ago, lawmakers were focused on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth gave a full-throated defense of himself in a press conference (which elated President Trump), and he survived an impeachment attempt.
Can Lutnick similarly circle wagons?
Democrats aren't angling to impeach Lutnick necessarily, but the White House can't afford the ugly Nvidia news cycle to drag on much longer. Lutnick and Trump have known each other for years, but Lutnick's brash bravado has unsettled a number of other top officials. (He and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have had some famous tangles, for example).
If Lutnick is on the political ropes, will people rush in to save him? Or could he follow Huang out of his job because the company's newly scrutinized ties to the U.S. government open up uncomfortable questions about the Commerce Department?