A leading US-India relations expert and US government adviser Ashley Tellis has denied charges of unlawfully retaining classified documents, following his arrest by federal authorities.
He was arrested over the weekend after more than a thousand pages of US top secret documents were allegedly found at his home.
Tellis has been charged with the unlawful retention of national defence information, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday.
"Ashley J. Tellis is a widely respected scholar and senior policy advisor," a statement from his attorneys Deborah Curtis and John Nassikas, with the Arnold & Porter law firm, said.
They said that at a court hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday and in related filings, they would be "vigorously contesting the allegations brought against him, specifically any insinuation of his operating on behalf of a foreign adversary," reported Reuters.
While the Justice Department’s case focuses on the mishandling of sensitive documents, a criminal affidavit also notes Tellis’s repeated meetings with Chinese officials in Fairfax, Virginia. At one dinner, he was seen leaving behind a manila envelope.
Surveillance footage cited in court documents shows Tellis leaving State Department buildings with a briefcase believed to contain classified printout, including from a document related to US Air Force operations. He reportedly accessed the department as recently as 25 September.
Tellis is a senior fellow at Washington's Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank. Carnegie said on Wednesday that Tellis is on administrative leave.
Originally from India and a naturalised US citizen, Tellis has held influential positions in the Pentagon and State Department, often acting as an unofficial bridge between Washington and New Delhi. In recent years, he became a critical voice on India policy, warning that US and Indian interests were not always aligned — particularly on global flashpoints like the war in Ukraine.
Trump administration officials, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have vowed to prosecute individuals who mishandle classified information.
The Tellis case has been brought by Lindsey Halligan, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who was formerly US President Donald Trump's personal lawyer.
Halligan has been leading prosecutions of New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, sparking concern among some former federal prosecutors who say the cases show Trump is using federal power to target political foes.
If convicted, Tellis could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The case continues to attract wide attention due to his stature in diplomatic and academic circles.