President Trump declined to give a precise account at a November 9 White House press briefing of when he learned about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s relationship with an alleged Chinese spy. Huang acknowledged over the weekend that he had been unfaithful to his wife, and Nvidia has opened an investigation into him.

Questions about Trump’s knowledge followed reporting by The New York Times suggesting he had received information about the relationship before it became public. In October, the newspaper reported that Trump had been briefed approximately a year earlier on intelligence describing a close relationship between Huang and Alice Huang, the suspected spy. According to that report, Trump took no action on the information.

A separate Times report published November 8 said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had helped prepare a memo for Trump officials about the relationship before the president’s visit to China in May. At the briefing, Trump denied having heard about the alleged espionage ties at the time of that trip.

Asked when he was first informed, Trump initially focused on his regard for Huang and the company he built. He praised the executive’s accomplishments and said he believed Huang was suffering, particularly because of the impact on his family. When a reporter repeated the question, Trump said he had heard and read about the matter over a period of time, adding that it was “not too long ago.” He did not provide a date.

Trump said he spoke with Huang on November 9 to ask how he was doing and whether he had known that the person involved was a spy. According to Trump, Huang said he had “no idea.” Trump said he believed that account. His remarks described Huang’s denial of knowing about alleged espionage ties, while the woman’s status remained an allegation in the source reporting.

Asked whether he would raise the matter with President Xi during their meeting the following week, Trump said he did not expect to do so, although he suggested Xi might ask him about it. Trump again expressed confidence in Huang and described him as honorable.

Reporters also pressed Trump on whether he had read an intelligence memo associated with Rubio. Trump said he would need to consult intelligence officials and allowed that the matter might have been mentioned without making much of an impression on him. He also referred to an FBI inquiry “in terms of something else,” without explaining its scope.