❓WHAT HAPPENED: A State Department employee is accused of removing classified documents from secure locations and meeting with Chinese officials.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ashley Tellis, a senior adviser to the State Department and contractor with the Office of Net Assessment, is the subject of the allegations.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The alleged activities occurred over several years, with key meetings reportedly taking place in Virginia restaurants, including in April and September 2023.
🎯IMPACT: Authorities discovered over 1,000 pages of classified documents at Tellis’s home, raising concerns over potential national security breaches.
Ashley Tellis, a senior adviser to the State Department and contractor with the Office of Net Assessment at the Department of War, has been accused of unlawfully retaining classified documents and meeting with Chinese officials over the past several years. Court documents reveal that Tellis, who held a top-secret clearance, began working for the State Department in 2001 and is considered an expert on India and South Asian affairs.
Federal prosecutors allege that Tellis had access to sensitive information and used his position to unlawfully obtain classified materials. During a search of his Vienna, Virginia, home, authorities reportedly found over 1,000 pages of documents marked “TOP SECRET” and “SECRET.”
On multiple occasions, Tellis allegedly met with Chinese officials, including a meeting in September 2022 at a Virginia restaurant where he was observed holding a manila envelope. In April 2023, prosecutors claim Tellis discussed Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies with Chinese officials during a dinner meeting.
Additionally, Tellis reportedly received a gift bag during a September 2 dinner meeting with Chinese officials. On September 25, he allegedly printed classified U.S. Air Force documents concerning military aircraft capabilities, further raising concerns about potential espionage activities.
The National Pulse reported in October last year that Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-sponsored espionage efforts in the United States significantly increased in the United States under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. According to a lengthy congressional investigation, there were over 55 instances of Chinese espionage in 20 states between January 2021 and October 2024. These cases involve the transmission of sensitive military data, theft of trade secrets, repression schemes against dissidents, and obstruction of justice.
Additionally, the report mentions various incidents involving Chinese nationals, including an attempted breach at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California in March. It also highlights the case of Ji Chaoqun, who was sentenced to eight years in January 2023 for working as an illegal agent for China in the U.S. Chaoqun’s role reportedly involved efforts to recruit American scientists and engineers and gain access to advanced technologies.
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