U.S.-India Relations Expert Ashley Tellis Arrested for Possession of Classified Defense Documents

Ashley Tellis, a prominent U.S.-India relations expert and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has been arrested and charged with the unlawful retention of national defense information. According to court documents, the 64-year-old former National Security Council official under President George W. Bush allegedly kept over a thousand pages of top secret and secret government materials at his Virginia home.

Tellis, who also served as an unpaid adviser to the U.S. State Department and worked as a Pentagon contractor, was arrested over the weekend and formally charged on Monday. A State Department spokesperson confirmed the arrest but offered no further details, while the Pentagon declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.

The FBI affidavit revealed that between September and October, Tellis accessed and printed classified files from both Defense and State Department offices. These documents reportedly included sensitive details about U.S. military aircraft capabilities. Surveillance footage showed Tellis leaving government facilities carrying a leather briefcase believed to contain classified materials.

During a search of his Vienna, Virginia residence, agents found more than a thousand pages of documents marked as top secret or secret. The affidavit also noted that Tellis had met multiple times with Chinese officials in recent years, including a dinner in Fairfax, Virginia, on September 15, where he was seen carrying a manila envelope that was missing when he left.

Tellis held a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan stated that the charges represent “a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens,” emphasizing the government’s commitment to safeguarding national secrets.