Indian-origin US strategic expert held over China links to contest charges

Ashley J Tellis, a former National Security Council member under George W. Bush and an unpaid State Department adviser, was arrested and charged with unlawfully retaining national defence information

Ashley J Tellis, a former US government adviser arrested over alleged handling of classified documents and links to the Chinese government, will contest the allegations, Reuters reported. 

 

Tellis, 64, who is of Indian origin, served on the National Security Council of former US president George Walker Bush and is listed in a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) court affidavit as an unpaid adviser to the US State Department. He was arrested and charged with "unlawful retention of national defence information".

 

Charges against Ashley J Tellis

 

An FBI affidavit accompanying the charge said that in September and October, Tellis was observed in Pentagon and State Department buildings accessing and printing classified documents, including information about military aircraft capabilities. It further said that more than a thousand pages of classified documents with top secret markings were discovered while searches were conducted at Tellis' residence in Vienna, Virginia.

 

The affidavit also claimed that Tellis, on several occasions, met with Chinese government officials, including a dinner on September 15, at which he reportedly arrived with a manila envelope, which he did not seem to have with him when he left..

 

According to the affidavit, the meetings with Chinese government officials allegedly took place in Fairfax, Virginia, between September 2022 and September 2025.

 

"Ashley J Tellis is a widely respected scholar and senior policy advisor," a statement from his attorneys Deborah Curtis and John Nassikas, with the Arnold & Porter law firm, said.  ALSO READ| Trump is a 'go' on meeting with Xi: US Treasury Secy amid China tensions

Who is Ashley J Tellis?

 

Tellis is a senior fellow at Washington's Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank. Born in 1961 in Mumbai, Tellis received his BA and MA in Economics from St Xavier's College, Mumbai. He later continued his studies in the United States, earning both a master’s degree and a doctorate from the University of Chicago.

 

Over the years, he has held key positions in academia and government, including serving as a senior adviser to the US ambassador in New Delhi and contributing to strategic planning for Southwest Asia on the National Security Council during the George Walker Bush administration.

 

Trump admin vows prosecution

 

According to a Reuters report, the Trump administration officials, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have now vowed to prosecute people who are accused of mishandling classified information.

 

The case was brought by Lindsey Halligan, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who was formerly Trump's personal lawyer.

 

Halligan has also been leading prosecutions against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.

 

The Justice Department stated that, if convicted, Tellis could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of as much as $250,000.