US State Dept employee accused of leaking classified documents to China: Report
A US State Department employee has reportedly been accused of allegedly removing classified documents from secure locations and meeting with Chinese officials going back to 2023
A US State Department employee has been accused of allegedly removing classified documents from secure locations and meeting with Chinese officials going back to 2023, reported Fox News.
According to the report, the accused – Ashley Tellis – began working for the State Department in 2001, court documents state. He is accused of unlawful retention of national defense information, according to an affidavit.
Who is Ashley Tellis?
Ashley Tellis is also a contractor with the Office of Net Assessment at the Department of Defense, now Department of War. He is also considered a subject matter expert on India and South Asian affair.
As per court documents accessed by Fox News, federal prosecutors said that the US State Department employee had access to sensitive information and held a top-secret clearance.
He was also employed as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
What all has been found?
As per Fox News, authorities — during the search of Tellis' Vienna home – discovered over a thousand pages of documents marked "TOP SECRET" and "SECRET," according to court documents.
According to authorities, on September 12, Tellis asked a coworker at a government facility to print several classified documents for him. Just two weeks later, on September 25, he allegedly printed additional US Air Force files detailing military aircraft capabilities. Federal prosecutors claim Tellis had met with Chinese government officials multiple times over the past several years, raising concerns about the handling of sensitive information.
What are the employee's links to China?
Prosecutors said in September 2022 Tellis met with Chinese officials at a Virginia restaurant while holding a manila envelope.
Thereafter in a meeting in April 2023, Tellis and Chinese officials were heard talking about Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies while dining at a restaurant, authorities said.
Fox News reported that the Justice Department continues to investigate the case