US government is reportedly in discussions to take stake in Intel

The Trump administration continues to meddle with semiconductor giant Intel.

The U.S. government is reportedly in discussions to take a stake in Intel, according to reporting from Bloomberg. This deal would be structured to help the company expand its U.S. manufacturing efforts, including its much-delayed Ohio chip factory.

This news comes less than a week after President Donald Trump insisted that Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan resign because of perceived conflicts of interest. While Trump didn’t provide a reason, this came after Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton wrote to Intel’s board asking about Tan’s alleged ties to China.

Tan met with the Trump administration on August 11 to quell the administration’s fears and figure out ways for the company to work with the government. This meeting is what sparked discussions of the U.S. government taking a direct stake in the company, according to Bloomberg.

Intel declined to comment.

“Intel is deeply committed to supporting President Trump’s efforts to strengthen U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership,” an Intel spokesperson said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our work with the Trump Administration to advance these shared priorities, but we are not going to comment on rumors or speculation.”

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