Yesterday, the AP dropped a bomb on the Bush and Obama administrations alleging that Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent who disappeared in Iran back in 2007, was actually on an authorized mission for the CIA at the time of his disappearance. Both the Bush and Obama administrations have long said publicly that Levinson was in Iran as a private citizen.

When asked about Levinson and the AP story in the briefing today, Carney made it clear that when Levinson went missing in Iran, he was not an “employee” of the United States government. When asked later if Levinson was a “contractor,” Carney refused to elaborate.

What I find interesting is that Team Obama thinks that there’s a substantive difference in this case between an ”employee” and a “contractor.” The DOJ doesn’t seem to see much of a difference, at least when it comes to prosecuting U.S. companies for using a third party or contractor to pay bribes to foreign officials in an effort to win business, etc.

And I don’t get why Carney thinks not acknowledging Levinson’s true mission at this point helps keep him safe. Now that this story is out there, why not pressure Iran to prove to us he’s alive?