White House press secretary Jay Carney said Friday that it was "highly irresponsible" of The Associated Press to publish its report about the missing former FBI agent Robert Levinson's ties to the CIA.

The report "very likely puts that person in greater danger," Carney said.

The report, which appeared in both The Associated Press and The Washington Post, revealed that Levinson was working for CIA analysts when he went missing in Iran in 2007. Levinson has been missing since then; it is unknown whether or not he is still alive.

The report also revealed breaches of protocol at the CIA and internal disagreements between analysts and operatives.

In a statement, AP executive editor Kathleen Carroll said she decided to publish the story in part because Levinson's whereabouts were unknown and because his CIA status would likely already be known to his captors.

"In the absence of any solid information about Levinson’s whereabouts, it has been impossible to judge whether publication would put him at risk," she explained. "It is almost certain that his captors already know about the CIA connection but without knowing exactly who the captors are, it is difficult to know whether publication of Levinson’s CIA mission would make a difference to them. That does not mean there is no risk. But with no more leads to follow, we have concluded that the importance of the story justifies publication."

Earlier on Friday, Sen. Bill Nelson, who serves on the intelligence panel and had taken special interest in Levinson's disappearance, told The Washington Post that he urged the AP not to run its report.