Washington– Ashley Tellis, a prominent U.S. foreign policy scholar and long-time government adviser on India and South Asia, has been charged with unlawfully retaining national defense information and allegedly maintaining contact with Chinese officials, according to a federal affidavit filed in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The 10-page affidavit, submitted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on October 13, 2025, accuses Tellis of removing classified materials from secure government facilities and storing them at his residence in Vienna, Virginia.
Court documents reveal that on September 12, 2025, surveillance footage captured Tellis at the Department of Defense’s Mark Center in Alexandria, where he allegedly directed a co-worker to print several classified documents — including one labeled “Top Secret.”
Two weeks later, on September 25, Tellis reportedly accessed a classified State Department computer system in Washington, D.C., where he opened a 1,288-page U.S. Air Force document marked “Secret.” Investigators allege he renamed the file “Econ Reform” to disguise its contents, printed hundreds of pages, and then deleted the file. He also allegedly printed two other 40-page Air Force documents on military aircraft, both marked “Secret.”
According to the FBI, on October 10, Tellis was observed concealing the documents — including the top-secret material — within notepads and placing them inside a leather briefcase before leaving the facility and returning home.
The affidavit further states that Tellis met multiple times with Chinese officials over several years. During a 2022 meeting, he reportedly arrived carrying a manila envelope and left without it two hours later. Subsequent meetings reportedly included discussions on Iran-China relations, artificial intelligence, and U.S.-Pakistan ties. In their most recent meeting, on September 2, 2025, Tellis allegedly received a red gift bag from the Chinese delegation.
The court filing identifies Tellis as an unpaid Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of State and a contractor with the Office of Net Assessment (ONA) at the Department of Defense, where he served as a subject matter expert on India and South Asia. He also holds a position as a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank.
Tellis, a former senior adviser to the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, played a key role in negotiating the U.S.–India Civil Nuclear Agreement. He could not be immediately reached for comment. (Source: IANS)
