The story about the illegal spying operation conducted by CIA analysts leading to the disappearance, and probable death, of former FBI agent Robert Levinson reported by the Associated Press has gained extreme criticism from the White House for its publication.
"Without commenting on any purported affiliation between Mr. Levinson and the U.S. government, the White House and others in the U.S. government strongly urged the AP not to run this story out of concern for Mr. Levinson's life," said a statement from Caitlin Hayden, spokesperson for the National Security Council, USA Today reported. "We regret that the AP would choose to run a story that does nothing to further the cause of bringing him home. The investigation into Mr. Levinson's disappearance continues, and we all remain committed to finding him and bringing him home safely to his family."
In a letter written by AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll, said publishing the article was a "difficult decision," but vital because the story "reveals serious mistakes and improper actions inside the U.S. government's most important intelligence agency."
Carroll goes onto state that "publishing articles that help the public hold their government to account is part of what journalism is for, and especially so at The Associated Press, which pursues accountability journalism whenever it can."
The AP first confirmed the CIA ties to Levinson in 2010, and continued to conduct investigations and interviews to uncover details of the illegal operation leading to the disappearance of Levinson in 2007.
The AP story states: "The AP first confirmed Levinson's CIA ties in 2010 and continued reporting to uncover more details. It agreed three times to delay publishing the story because the U.S. government said it was pursuing promising leads to get him home."
"The AP is reporting the story now because, nearly seven years after his disappearance, those efforts have repeatedly come up empty. The government has not received any sign of life in nearly three years. Top U.S. officials, meanwhile, say his captors almost certainly already know about his CIA association."
In the letter, Carroll said "in a time where the decisions of these agencies is being highly debated, the investigation and its consequences should not be kept a secret from the public."
Carroll did not deny the publication may put Levinson at risk, if he is still alive, but argued it's "impossible to judge" due to the lack of any real, solid information from the government and agencies involved, adding that after seven years, his captors probably already know about his CIA connections,
Florida Senator Bill Nelson said Friday he too urged the AP to not run the story. Nelson showed interest in the Levinson case and joined the intelligence panel in 2008, Politco reported.
"My only response that I can give is this is classified information," Nelson said when asked about his stance. "I can't talk about it, that's all I can tell you. Just stay tuned."
