When the U.S. Department of Justice charged Ashley J. Tellis, a senior adviser to the U.S. State Department and a contractor with the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment, for espionage and unlawful retention of classified documents, Washington’s foreign policy establishment was left stunned.

Tellis, long regarded as an “India expert,” allegedly removed sensitive military documents from secure facilities and met Chinese officials multiple times in Virginia between 2022 and 2023. Federal prosecutors say that he discussed “emerging technologies” and “Iran–China relations,” and was seen carrying manila envelopes and accepting gift bags from Chinese representatives.

Over 1,000 classified papers marked ‘Top Secret’ were recovered from his home. Prosecutors believe Tellis exploited his governme

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