Rubio ally thinks she knows who's keeping Mitt Romney from vetting Marco for vice president

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

The report that Mitt Romney is not having Florida Sen. Marco Rubio vetted as a possible vice-presidential nominee has sparked some finger-pointing, with Ana Navarro, a "top ally" of Rubio's who was included in the acknowledgements of his memoir, telling Buzzfeed:

"Do remember that Stuart Stevens was Charlie Crist’s guy ... The guys who did all of that oppo and attacks on Marco were none other than [Romney advisers] Stuart Stevens and Russ Schriefer."

Sooo ... top Rubio ally Ana Navarro is saying that the opposition research on Rubio already done by Romney advisers may be the reason Rubio isn't on the VP list?

That's what she was saying at 1:00 PM, but just hours earlier, at 10:37 AM, Navarro's first response was wild theorizing:

"Either we’re being punked and he is being vetted and they are trying to create the element of surprise, or someone has an ax to grind with him, or he’s not being vetted and someone wants him to be," she said.

What did Navarro hear between 10:37 and 1:00 that focused her from either we're being punked or someone has an ax to grind or someone is leaking this to push the Romney campaign into vetting Rubio to believing that someone has an ax to grind and she knows just who it is? And what oppo exactly does she think is playing in the decision not to vet Rubio?

3:24 PM PT (Kaili Joy Gray): Aaaaaaaand never mind because:

BREAKING: Romney says FL Sen. Marco Rubio is being "thoroughly vetted" as part of his VP selection process. #Decision2012
— @GarrettNBCNews via Twitter for iPhone