All of this is based on leaks, mainly from the US government. So the November 8 board decision might've been the cause for the November 11 leak, because the original leak failed to achieve the goal of removing Huang. Remember we're talking about stuff that's over a year old. None of this is an evolving situation.
This was my original read of the whole thing. The timing on this, happening immediately after the Republicans lose big-time? This all seems so incredibly convenient and weird. I sincerely believe this is retaliation for something that he did or didn’t do.