Former President Donald Trump has called for the immediate resignation of Intel’s new chief executive, Lip-Bu Tan.

Trump’s demand for Tan to step down, shared Thursday on Truth Social, comes just days after Republican Senator Tom Cotton raised concerns over Tan’s decades of investment in China’s tech sector.

“We need the highest level of security and integrity at Intel, America’s most advanced chipmaker, and Mr Tan’s extensive network of personal and professional relationships raises serious questions about his ability to provide it,” Cotton said in a letter to Intel chair Frank Yeary this week.

Intel declined to comment on Trump’s post, which was identical to one the former president shared on his blog. Tan and the White House also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tan became CEO of Intel on March 16 after the company’s board fired his predecessor, Pat Gelsinger, in December. He inherits the chipmaker at a fraught moment for Silicon Valley, struggling to keep up with TSMC and its closest competitors in the race to mass-produce the most advanced artificial intelligence chips.

The controversy over Tan’s new position is also taking place just as the Biden administration has granted Intel billions of dollars in subsidies and loans from the federal government. The funds will help Intel expand chip production and help the White House reverse American over-dependence on foreign chip companies, but the company has lagged far behind TSMC and Samsung in bringing to market the most cutting-edge semiconductors.

In that context, Tan, in a July interview, warned that Intel could discontinue its efforts to create a new, 3-nanometer chip production facility if it does not have a “significant external customer” to help fund the research. That would give TSMC, the only other company in the world capable of making such advanced chips, a monopoly.

Tan has also sparked concern for his deep history of venture capital in Chinese technology companies. As a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and semiconductor veteran, Tan has founded multiple investment funds in both Hong Kong and San Francisco, many of which have poured money into Chinese tech start-ups.

Tan’s prior investments include Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), the largest chip manufacturer in China.

He also served as CEO of Cadence Design Systems, a Silicon Valley company, from 1994 to 2015. Last week, Cadence said it had violated U.S. export controls by selling technology to the Dalian University of Technology, a Chinese school with links to the country’s military. Tan is a co-founder of Cadence.

That history is coming under more scrutiny now, as Intel stock fell 3 percent in pre-market trading on Thursday in New York following Trump’s post.

This article was produced and syndicated by OilPrice.com.Former President Donald Trump has called for the immediate resignation of Intel’s new chief executive, Lip-Bu Tan.

Trump’s demand for Tan to step down, shared Thursday on Truth Social, comes just days after Republican Senator Tom Cotton raised concerns over Tan’s decades of investment in China’s tech sector.

“We need the highest level of security and integrity at Intel, America’s most advanced chipmaker, and Mr Tan’s extensive network of personal and professional relationships raises serious questions about his ability to provide it,” Cotton said in a letter to Intel chair Frank Yeary this week.

Tan’s warning coincided with the beginning of a sweeping cost-cutting drive to boost Intel’s profitability. The actions were welcomed by investors, who pushed Intel’s share price up by 10 percent in just two days after Tan’s announcement. But the cuts also raise fresh doubts over Intel’s long-term strategy, as the company seeks to reverse recent losses.

In his letter to Intel, Sen. Cotton noted the special requirements placed on the company given its role as the recipient of billions of taxpayer dollars in subsidies. “Intel is required to be a responsible steward of American taxpayer dollars and to comply with applicable security regulations,” Cotton wrote. “Mr Tan’s associations raise questions about Intel’s ability to fulfill these obligations.”