President Trump and Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) are sounding the alarm over a Fortune 500 company and its CEO.
The president made a post on his Truth Social platform, just a day after Senator Cotton sent a letter to the company’s chairman citing worries about possible impacts on U.S. national security.
‘There is no other solution to this problem.’
Cotton sent a letter to Intel Chairman Frank D. Yeary, telling him that he is concerned with the “security and integrity of Intel’s operations” and the “potential impact on U.S. national security” in relation to the company’s new CEO.
“The new CEO of [Intel] reportedly has deep ties to the Chinese Communists,” Cotton wrote on X.
CEO Lip-Bu Tan was the recent CEO of Cadence Design Systems (2009-2021), a company that makes electronic design automation technology, Cotton pointed out. He added, “Cadence pleaded guilty to illegally selling its products to a Chinese military university and transferring its technology to an associated Chinese semiconductor company without obtaining licenses.”
The Republican senator followed that up with a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, asking him to rescind the ability of non-U.S. citizens to have access to Department of Defense systems.
On Thursday morning, the president was much more direct about what he wanted from the Intel CEO.
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“The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately,” Trump said on Truth Social. “There is no other solution to this problem. Thank you for your attention to this problem!”
According to the New York Post, Cotton’s letter revealed that Tan had invested at least $200 million across hundreds of Chinese firms between 2012 and 2024. The senator additionally asked if Tan had disclosed any remaining investments he had of a similar nature, due to the fact that Intel receives significant federal funding.
Cotton was referring to Intel being awarded $8.5 billion through President Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act in 2024, along with about $11 billion in government loans. Intel brought Tan aboard only a few months ago, in March, replacing former CEO Pat Gelsinger, whom Intel’s board reportedly lost faith in.
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An Intel spokesperson told the Post that “Intel and Mr. Tan are deeply committed to the national security of the United States and the integrity of our role in the U.S. defense ecosystem.”
The company said it planned to address matters with Cotton, while the senator stated in his letter that he wants a response by August 15.
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