Ashley Tellis, a senior adviser to the U.S. State Department and a contractor with the Office of Net Assessment in the Department of War, has been accused of unlawfully accessing and retaining classified government documents. The allegations, which emerged after a search of his Virginia home, revealed over 1,000 pages of sensitive materials, including ‘TOP SECRET’ and ‘SECRET’ documents, according to court filings. Prosecutors claim Tellis, who had top-secret clearance, improperly printed several classified documents during his tenure, including materials related to U.S. Air Force capabilities, which he allegedly shared with Chinese officials over a multiyear period. This latest incident has raised serious concerns about national security and the potential for classified intelligence to be compromised. The Office of Net Assessment, which recently rebranded as the Department of War, has not yet commented on the matter, though its officials were reportedly involved in the case. Tellis, who previously worked with the State Department since 2001, is also a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on global affairs and policy analysis. The case is part of a broader pattern of alleged information breaches involving U.S. government employees, including a Navy sailor recently convicted for selling military secrets to China and a diplomat who was fired after having a romantic relationship with a woman tied to the Chinese Communist Party.
According to federal prosecutors, Tellis was seen meeting with Chinese officials at least once in September 2022, during which he was carrying a manila envelope. These meetings reportedly included discussions about Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies, suggesting a potential overlap in strategic interests. The alleged interactions, which took place at a Virginia restaurant, have drawn scrutiny from intelligence agencies due to the high level of secrecy surrounding the topics discussed. Additional court documents indicate that Tellis also received a gift bag during a dinner meeting with Chinese officials in September 2023, which further complicates the situation. Prosecutors are currently seeking more information from the State Department, Department of War, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as they continue to investigate the extent of Tellis’s activities. While no formal charges have been publicly filed against him, the case has intensified calls for stricter oversight of classified document handling and enhanced security protocols within government agencies. These allegations have also rekindled debates over the potential risks of granting high-level access to foreign officials, particularly in an era where geopolitical tensions are at their highest in decades.