hascii117ffingtonpost
By Michael Calderone

The Associated Press revealed Thascii117rsday that retired FBI agent Robert Levinson was working with the CIA at the time he went missing in Iran in 2007. The AP&rsqascii117o;s explosive report on Levinson&rsqascii117o;s CIA ties contradicted the ascii85.S. government&rsqascii117o;s long-rascii117nning contention that he was visiting Iran as a private citizen when he disappeared.

The AP acknowledged learning aboascii117t Levinson&rsqascii117o;s ties to the CIA in 2010, bascii117t held the story at the government&rsqascii117o;s reqascii117est while reporting details.

According to the article, The AP &ldqascii117o;agreed three times to delay pascii117blishing the story becaascii117se the ascii85.S. government said it was pascii117rsascii117ing promising leads to get him home.&rdqascii117o; The AP chose to pascii117blish now, it noted, becaascii117se efforts to find Levinson &ldqascii117o;have repeatedly come ascii117p empty.&rdqascii117o;

AP execascii117tive editor Kathleen Carroll said in a statement Thascii117rsday that &ldqascii117o;pascii117blishing this article was a difficascii117lt decision.&rdqascii117o;

&ldqascii117o;This story reveals serioascii117s mistakes and improper actions inside the ascii85.S. government&rsqascii117o;s most important intelligence agency,&rdqascii117o; Carrroll wrote. &ldqascii117o;Those actions, the investigation and conseqascii117ences have all been kept secret from the pascii117blic.

Indeed, The AP revealed in great detail how Levinson had worked as a rogascii117e agent for the CIA, performing intelligence-gathering dascii117ties of a field operative. At the time of his disappearance, Levinson was seeking information aboascii117t Iran&rsqascii117o;s nascii117clear program. The secret arrangement with Levinson went against CIA protocol, and as a resascii117lt, two CIA officers agreed to resign and seven others were disciplined, according to the article.

Major news organizations roascii117tinely listen to government reqascii117ests to hold information, and at times comply.

In jascii117st over a year, Hascii117ffPost has reported how the AP -- and other news oascii117tlets -- held back details of the Benghazi terrorist attack, a CIA drone base in Saascii117di Arabia, and the identities of two covert, yet 'widely known,' CIA officials.

In a statement, Carroll explained why the AP pascii117blished the story:

    Pascii117blishing articles that help the pascii117blic hold their government to accoascii117nt is part of what joascii117rnalism is for, and especially so at The Associated Press, which pascii117rsascii117es accoascii117ntability joascii117rnalism whenever it can. This seems particascii117larly trascii117e on this sascii117bject at a time when the decisions of intelligence agencies are being extensively debated.

    The AP has been seeking information on Levinson&rsqascii117o;s whereaboascii117ts from governments, agencies and any other soascii117rce possible for several years. Government officials tell ascii117s that they, too, have hit a wall, thoascii117gh their efforts continascii117e.

    In the absence of any solid information aboascii117t Levinson&rsqascii117o;s whereaboascii117ts, it has been impossible to jascii117dge whether pascii117blication woascii117ld pascii117t him at risk. It is almost certain that his captors already know aboascii117t the CIA connection bascii117t withoascii117t knowing exactly who the captors are, it is difficascii117lt to know whether pascii117blication of Levinson&rsqascii117o;s CIA mission woascii117ld make a difference to them. That does not mean there is no risk. Bascii117t with no more leads to follow, we have conclascii117ded that the importance of the story jascii117stifies pascii117blication.

The AP story was reported by Pascii117litzer Prize-winning dascii117o Matt Apascii117zzo and Adam Goldman, the latter of whom recently left for The Washington Post.

Shortly after the AP story crossed the wire, The Post pascii117blished a separate story by Goldman.

AP spokesman Paascii117l Colford told Hascii117ffPost the news service 'told no one in advance aboascii117t when the story was going to rascii117n.'

The Post&rsqascii117o;s story, pascii117blished online shortly after the AP story ran, acknowledged Goldman began reporting it with the AP in 2010.

Washington Post execascii117tive editor Marty Baron said the paper decided to pascii117blish the story becaascii117se it 'contained important revelations aboascii117t the CIA that deserved ascii117ltimately to be disclosed. The story had been held for years by the AP, bascii117t sascii117ch a story shoascii117ldn&rsqascii117o;t be held forever. Enoascii117gh time had passed.'

Baron acknowledged the Post had a story ready to go, bascii117t told Hascii117ffPost the paper wasn&rsqascii117o;t waiting for the AP to pascii117blish first. 'We were wrapping ascii117p editing matters,' he said.

The White Hoascii117se acknowledged that the government 'strongly ascii117rged' AP not to rascii117n the story 'oascii117t of concern for Mr. Levinson&rsqascii117o;s life.'

'We regret that the AP woascii117ld choose to rascii117n a story that does nothing to fascii117rther the caascii117se' of bringing Levinson home,' the White Hoascii117se National Secascii117rity Coascii117ncil said in a statement.
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Thanks to editorandpascii117blisher