Ashley Tellis faces serious charges after classified documents were found in his possession.
Ashley Tellis, a prominent Indian-American national security expert and consultant for the US State Department, was arrested on Saturday under allegations of illegally removing classified files from a government facility. His arrest followed a search by investigators who discovered over a thousand documents marked as classified at his residence in Virginia.
The circumstances surrounding Tellis’s arrest are particularly notable, as he and his family were reportedly scheduled to depart for Rome on the same day federal agents conducted the search. During the investigation, authorities also found classified materials in three trash bags, highlighting the extent of the alleged mishandling of sensitive information.
Tellis, a naturalized US citizen originally from India, is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a well-known think tank. The classified documents in question reportedly include information related to Air Force tactics and techniques, raising concerns about national security implications. According to court records, surveillance footage captured Tellis accessing and printing classified materials from government facilities.
Further details from an affidavit released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicate that Tellis had multiple meetings with Chinese government officials over the past several years. However, the affidavit does not clarify what information, if any, Tellis may have shared with these officials, leaving many questions unanswered regarding the nature of his interactions with foreign entities.
In the weeks leading up to his arrest, investigators observed Tellis engaging in suspicious activities. He was allegedly seen concealing documents within notepads and placing them into his briefcase before departing from the Pentagon’s Mark Center in Virginia. On September 25, he is accused of accessing a 1,288-page US Air Force manual, which was classified as “Secret.” Reports suggest that he altered the document’s name to “Econ Reform” in an apparent attempt to disguise its true nature before printing hundreds of pages and subsequently deleting the original file.
Tellis has a history of involvement in significant US-India relations, having played a key role in negotiating the Indo-US civil nuclear deal that was finalized in 2008. He also served on the US National Security Council during the administration of former President George W. Bush, further emphasizing his stature within the realm of national security policy. The current allegations against him raise serious concerns about the security of classified information and the potential risks associated with unauthorized disclosures.
The ongoing investigation into Tellis’s activities continues, as authorities seek to uncover the full extent of the situation. The implications of his actions, both for his career and for broader national security, remain to be fully realized as the legal proceedings unfold.
