Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America this morning to promote his new selectively-edited video about his time as a Census worker, James O'Keefe ran into a buzz saw of questions from host George Stephanopoulos about whether O'Keefe regretted his attempt to film a different video at the New Orleans office of Sen. Mary Landrieu. O'Keefe's actions resulted in his arrest and prosecution -- last week, O'Keefe pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charges of entering federal property under false pretenses.

Today, O'Keefe seemed to have difficulty expressing whether he regretted his actions:

If you're keeping track, O'Keefe on three occasions said that while he'd “do it again,” he “might do it differently” or “might do it a little differently,” and twice said he did not regret what he did. He also had this exchange with Stephanopoulos:

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you would stay within the letter of the law next time?

O'KEEFE: Of course. Yes. Yes.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you do regret that?

O'KEEFE: Oh yeah, I would do it differently. But like I said, these people need to be investigated, and they're not immune from doing investigative journalism. You know what I mean?

O'Keefe's wavering on whether he regrets his actions stands in contrast to the stark statement he made in a document reportedly “drafted by lawyers based on O'Keefe's statements” that “was intended to be offered as the factual basis for his plea”:

The group devised a plan involving disguises because they believed that if they simply entered Senator Landrieu's office and identified themselves as journalists they would not likely receive truthful answers. They thought it likely that Senator Landrieu's staff would be more candid with a repairman than a reporter. Looking back, the Defendants now recognize clearly that this plan was imprudent, and produced unintended security concerns and consequences that none of the Defendants anticipated. The Defendants agree that they should have anticipated these consequences and regret that they decided to proceed in that fashion.

Similarly, the Associated Press reported of O'Keefe's appearance before the court at his sentencing, “O'Keefe told the judge he regretted his actions and apologized for raising security concerns at the federal building.”

So it seems like O'Keefe has no trouble saying that he regrets his actions when he's trying to, say, avoid a heavier sentence from a judge. But once he's no longer facing that threat, well, suddenly he's a lot less sure about that.