Former FBI agent Bob Levinson `` was not a U.S. government employee when he went missing in Iran , '' White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday . And U.S. officials noted that they have no idea where he is . Carney made the comment amid reports that Levinson , 65 , was working for the CIA in Iran , not conducting private business as officials have previously said . The State Department and Levinson 's family have denied he was working for the U.S. government ever since he disappeared on a trip to Iran in 2007 . Speaking to reporters , Carney said there 's an investigation into the disappearance , but he would n't comment further on what Levinson `` may or may not have been doing in Iran . '' `` I am not going to fact check every allegation made in the story you referenced , a story we believe it was highly irresponsible to publish and which we strongly urged the outlet not to publish out of concerns for Mr. Levinson 's safety , '' he said . `` If there 's somebody detained overseas and it 's published , true or false , that he is working for the CIA , I think it is dictated by logic that that very likely puts that person in greater danger . What I can tell you is he was n't a U.S. government employee when he made that trip . '' The Associated Press and The Washington Post first reported the CIA angle on Thursday . Family attorney speaks . Levinson 's family attorney , David McGee , told CNN 's Susan Candiotti that records he found show `` without a shadow of a doubt '' that Levinson was indeed a contract employee of the CIA on a rogue assignment in Iran for the agency when he disappeared . McGee and his paralegal managed to hack into Levinson 's e-mails and found correspondence with a CIA analyst who had known Levinson for years . It was n't until McGee , a former federal prosecutor who worked with Levinson years ago , found the e-mails that the family learned about the relationship with the spy agency . At the time of his disappearance , the State Department said he was on a private business trip investigating cigarette smuggling and said he was not working for the government . Levinson had spied on Iran 's nuclear program and Hezbollah 's cigarette smuggling in the past , McGee said , but on this trip he was investigating corruption and money laundering in Iran 's oil industry . McGee said Levinson 's absence has been hard on his wife and seven children . `` It 's been a difficult 6 ½ years for everybody that 's dealt with this , '' McGee said. `` And the confrontations that we 've had . With the agencies , with the Iranians , they 've been very difficult . It 's been quite a challenge . And to watch the family go through that . '' Do n't know where he is . Carney said he was not `` going to say anything '' that might harm `` efforts to bring Mr. Levinson home , '' noting that it remained a priority and the government continues to pursue `` all investigative leads . '' Separately , the United States does n't know where Levinson is being held or who has him , senior U.S. officials told CNN . `` We honestly do n't know where he is , '' one official said . The officials said a 2010 video of Levinson considered proof of life posed more questions than answers because it was sent from a cybercafé in Pakistan and had Pashtun music in the background . Unable to pinpoint Levinson 's whereabouts , then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement saying the United States had evidence that he was being held `` somewhere in southwest Asia . '' This implied he may not be in Iran , but could have been held in Afghanistan or Pakistan . With no sign of Levinson since , the officials said they have no way of knowing whether he is alive . Iran maintains it does n't know where he is and has offered to help find him . The AP said it moved forward with publishing the sensitive story after holding off several times . `` 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 news agency said in its report . `` 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 . '' McGee said Levinson family did not want the AP or Washington Post to publish the story . `` The publication of the story was not authorized by the family , '' McGee said . `` We did not give permission and we were not aware other than two hours in advance that the decision had been made . Having said that , there are some advantages to this . Once it 's out , you no longer have to lie . ''
Reports surface Bob Levinson worked for the CIA in Iran when he disappeared in 2007 . Family lawyer tells CNN about Levinson 's apparent CIA connection . The White House says Levinson was n't a government employee when he went missing . U.S. officials say they have no information on Levinson 's whereabouts .