A US State Department employee has been accused of unlawfully removing classified documents from secure government locations and holding multiple meetings with Chinese officials dating back to 2023, Fox News reported.

According to the Justice Department, Ashley Tellis served as an unpaid senior adviser to the State Department and was also a contractor with the Office of Net Assessment at the Department of Defense, recently renamed the Department of War.

In his role at the Office of Net Assessment, he was considered a subject-matter expert on India and South Asian affairs.

Court documents state that Tellis began working for the State Department in 2001. He has been accused of unlawful retention of national defense information, according to an affidavit filed in court.

Federal prosecutor

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