Banks Demands Answers on Chip Sales to China
Republican Sen. Jim Banks called for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Jeffrey Kessler, an under secretary at the Commerce Department, to testify before the Senate Banking Committee over high-end computer chip sales to Chinese customers. Banks said on November 12 that loopholes appeared to have enabled sales despite President Donald Trump’s directive against them.
Banks said he had spoken with committee Chairman Tim Scott, a Republican, and ranking member Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, about bringing the officials before the panel. He said the committee had bipartisan questions and concerns about what had happened over the past year, and called for testimony as soon as possible.
Banks also urged an investigation into why the Commerce Department allowed loopholes that enabled the sales. He said the United States should not give China its best technology while the countries are in conflict. Banks’ criticism drew attention because he is a Trump ally.
The Senate Banking Committee testimony Banks requested would give Lutnick and Kessler an opportunity to address the allegations. Banks did not state when the committee might hear from them.
Banks’ Chip-Sales Charge Raises Questions for Commerce Department
A Republican senator’s demand for answers has put the Commerce Department’s handling of sensitive chip exports under scrutiny. Jim Banks said on November 12 that Secretary Howard Lutnick and under secretary Jeffrey Kessler should testify about sales of high-end chips to Chinese customers that appeared to go ahead despite President Donald Trump’s directive against them.
Banks said he had spoken with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, a Republican, and ranking member Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, about bringing the officials before the committee. He cited bipartisan questions about what had happened over the past year and called for the testimony as soon as possible.
The central issue Banks raised is why the department allowed loopholes that, in his account, enabled the sales. His criticism of a Trump administration official underscores the need for Congress to examine how the export rules were applied, rather than allowing the department’s decisions to go unexplained.
Banks said the United States should not give China its best technology while the countries are in conflict. The officials’ testimony, if scheduled, would give them a chance to explain the department’s actions.
Banks Presses Commerce Officials Over China Chip Exports
High-end chips meant to be kept from Chinese customers may have been sold through loopholes, Sen. Jim Banks said, demanding that Commerce officials answer to Congress. On November 12, the Republican called for Secretary Howard Lutnick and under secretary Jeffrey Kessler to testify, saying he believed they had defied President Donald Trump’s directive against the sales.
Banks said he had spoken with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, a Republican, and ranking member Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, about bringing the officials before the panel. He wants them to explain how the loopholes arose and why the sales went ahead.
Banks warned that the United States should not give China its best technologies while the countries are in conflict. His demand puts the focus on whether the administration’s restriction was followed and whether Commerce officials should account for the apparent gap between the directive and the sales.
The committee has not been given a hearing date in Banks’ comments. He called for Lutnick and Kessler to testify as soon as possible.
Reported by Raw Story, Breitbart.
