Aug. 8 (UPI) — Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan responded to President Donald Trump’s call for him to resign as head of the company.
“I have always operated within the highest legal and ethical standards,” Tan said in a press release on Thursday. “My reputation has been built on trust, on doing what I say I’ll do, and doing it the right way.”
“This is the same way I am leading Intel,” he added.
Trump posted to Truth Social Wednesday that “The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately.”
Trump didn’t clearly explain why he made the declaration, but Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., did wrote a letter Tuesday to Intel’s Chairperson Frank Yeary in regard to Tan expressing “concern about the security and integrity of Intel’s operations and its potential impact on U.S. national security.”
“There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about my past roles at Walden International and Cadence Design Systems,” Tan said in the release. “I have always operated within the highest legal and ethical standards.”
Tan had served as the CEO of Cadence Design Systems, a tech and software company, from 2009 to 2021, which was charged in July by the U.S. Department of Justice with conspiracy to commit export control violations. The charges are based on activity occurring between February 2015 and April 2021.
“We are engaging with the Administration to address the matters that have been raised and ensure they have the facts,” Tan further said. “I fully share the President’s commitment to advancing U.S. national and economic security, I appreciate his leadership to advance these priorities, and I’m proud to lead a company that is so central to these goals.”
Intel also put out a related press release on Wednesday. “Intel, the Board of Directors, and Lip-Bu Tan are deeply committed to advancing U.S. national and economic security interests and are making significant investments aligned with the President’s America First agenda,” the company said.
“We look forward to our continued engagement with the Administration,” it concluded.