President Donald Trump is publicly calling on the CEO of Intel Lip-Bu Tan to resign over reported ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
The statement from the President comes on the heels of a report from Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark).
“The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately. There is no other solution to this problem,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
Cotton wrote a letter to the company’s board outlining the CEO’s past business dealings with China and pointing out that they were concerning.
The new CEO of @intel reportedly has deep ties to the Chinese Communists. U.S. companies who receive government grants should be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and adhere to strict security regulations. The board of @Intel owes Congress an explanation. pic.twitter.com/3rYhHge6Wa
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) August 6, 2025
The Wall Street Journal Reports:
In response to Cotton’s letter, Intel defended Tan and dismissed suggestions that the company posed a threat to U.S. national security. Tan was born in Malaysia and later became an American citizen.
He took over as CEO in March with the hope of turning Intel around by cutting costs and improving the company’s performance in its existing business lines.
His previous ties to China as a venture capitalist who invested in Chinese tech companies before starting to work in the semiconductor industry have also invited scrutiny from lawmakers.
In his letter, Cotton, who is chair of the Intelligence Committee and a senior figure in Republican leadership, referenced Tan’s longtime position as CEO of Silicon Valley software company Cadence Design Systems, which recently agreed to pay $140 million for violating U.S. export restrictions by selling to China’s National University of Defense Technology.
The scrutiny from the President and lawmakers follows the federal government giving intel billions of dollars to increase chip production in Ohio.
The investment by the United States raises concerns over Intel’s connection with China and the possibility the company could share advanced tech with the Communist Party in China.
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