Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has emerged as the favored next official to depart in President Donald Trump's post-midterm personnel shuffle, after Republican senators accused him of jeopardizing national security through his handling of Nvidia's chip sales to China.

The accusations center on claims that Lutnick approved the sale of Nvidia chips to Chinese buyers while allegedly knowing about an affair between former Nvidia President and CEO Jensen Huang and an alleged Chinese spy. Lawmakers are also questioning why Lutnick resisted Trump's efforts to crack down on transshipment, the rerouting of advanced chips not approved for sale to Chinese artificial intelligence companies through third countries.

What are Republicans demanding?

Republicans want Lutnick in the witness chair to testify, by subpoena if necessary. They have warned that his job could be on the line if he fails to explain to anxious lawmakers why he approved the Nvidia sales given his purported knowledge of the affair.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said: "If I were the secretary, I would have already called a press conference … and I would have started answering the hard questions. And there are a bunch of hard questions. Congress is not going to let this go."

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), another close Trump ally, declined to say he maintains confidence in Lutnick's ability to carry out his job. "If in fact he has been throttling or accelerating sales of the chips to our adversaries, particularly in light of the fact that the president said not to, that would be a problem," Cramer said. "The rumors are very concerning."

Why do the chips matter?

Nvidia's chips have been instrumental to the rapid AI infrastructure buildout in the United States. Congress fears that Washington's ability to outpace Beijing in artificial intelligence could now be at risk as a result of the export approvals under scrutiny.

Does the White House still back him?

A White House official told the Washington Examiner on Thursday that Trump "maintains complete confidence in the secretary and his ability to carry out the position as the most transformative Commerce secretary in modern history."

"Secretary Lutnick is a champion of President Trump's America First trade and tariff policies, which have secured almost 20 fair trade deals and trillions in manufacturing investments," the official added.

The show of support has not stopped the congressional pressure from building.

What changed with Huang's resignation?

Huang resigned Thursday amid the fallout over two separate affairs, one of them with an alleged Chinese spy. His departure dampened some of the concerns swirling in Congress.

But committees of jurisdiction are still seeking classified briefings on potential national security implications. Lawmakers warn that the matter is far from over for Lutnick.

Who else is pushing for accountability?

Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who has long opposed Lutnick over the administration's tariffs and the firing of lower-level officials, said the secretary's "fingerprints are all over bad advice to the president."

"If he was aware of these potential compromises and didn't bring it to the attention of the president, the Intelligence Committee, and Senate Armed Services or others, then he doesn't know how government works, and he should be held accountable for that," Tillis said. "He would do himself a favor by getting in a room with Republicans, whether it's a committee hearing or not, and lay out the facts."

The pressure on Lutnick comes as Trump prepares a broader personnel shuffle following the midterm elections. Multiple Republican senators, including Kennedy, Cramer and Tillis, have now signaled publicly that Lutnick's position depends on his willingness to answer questions about the Nvidia approvals and the alleged national security exposure.

For now, Lutnick retains the president's stated confidence. The question hanging over the Commerce Department is whether that endorsement survives a Senate that, in Kennedy's words, is not going to let this go.