Amazon scoops up another D.C. name, Jay Carney

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos seems to have a thing about a certain city 3,000 miles to the east of his Seattle hometown. First he snapped up the storied if financially ailing Washington Post, and now he's hired former Obama administration press secretary Jay Carney.

Carney, 49, will report to Bezos as senior vice president of global corporate affairs for the e-commerce juggernaut, and split his time between Washington, D.C., and Seattle. Amazon spokesman Ty Rogers confirmed the news, adding that the newly created position included oversight of the company's public relations and public policy teams.

Hiring a Washington power-alley insider is hardly a surprise, given that Amazon and other big tech companies have been wrangling with lawmakers over Federal Aviation Administration drone regulations. Bezos has made clear that he hopes to be able to use drones to deliver Amazon packages in the near future. A recent FAA proposal would limit commercial drone use to no more than 500 feet above bystanders and having operators within sight of the craft, which would eliminate autonomous drones.

Carney, who is married to ABC News correspondent Claire Shipman, has deep roots in journalism as a former reporter for The Miami Herald and Time magazine. He served as President Obama's press secretary from February 2011 until June 2014.