Ashley Tellis, a prominent US-India relations expert and former adviser on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, arrested over the weekend and charged with “unlawful retention of national defense information,” has been released from custody and will serve under home detention while facing charges.
Authorities allege that Tellis improperly kept more than 1,000 pages of classified documents at his home in Vienna, Virginia. The documents reportedly included material marked “top secret” and “secret,” covering sensitive topics such as US military aircraft capabilities.
The FBI affidavit filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia noted several instances in September and October when Tellis allegedly printed classified materials at Pentagon and State Department facilities. Surveillance footage reportedly shows him exiting the buildings with a briefcase believed to contain the documents.
Tellis was ordered detained during an initial court appearance in Alexandria, Virginia, pending a detention hearing scheduled for next week. He faces up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 if convicted.
Alleged contacts with Chinese officials
The affidavit also details meetings Tellis allegedly held with Chinese government officials at restaurants in Northern Virginia. One 2022 dinner noted that Tellis arrived carrying a manila envelope that was no longer present when he left. Another meeting in 2023 reportedly included discussions on Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. The Justice Department emphasizes that the charges concern the handling of classified documents, not the meetings themselves.
Defense statement
Tellis’ attorneys, Deborah Curtis and John Nassikas of Arnold & Porter, defended their client, stating: “Ashley J. Tellis is a widely respected scholar and senior policy advisor. We will vigorously contest the allegations brought against him, specifically any insinuation of his operating on behalf of a foreign adversary.”
Tellis’ professional background
Tellis, 64, is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he holds the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs. He has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest. In addition, he served as an unpaid adviser to the State Department and as a contractor with the Department of Defense’s Office of Net Assessment.
Throughout his career, Tellis has played a key role in shaping US-India relations, including helping negotiate the Bush administration’s landmark civil nuclear cooperation deal with India.
The case is being prosecuted by Lindsey Halligan, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Tellis is expected to contest the charges vigorously at upcoming hearings, maintaining that the allegations against him, including suggestions of acting on behalf of a foreign adversary, are unfounded.
