Aug 18, 2009 7:10 pm US/Eastern
Columnist Robert Novak Dies Of Brain Cancer
Novak Played Central Role In Leak Of CIA Agent Valerie Plame's Name
CHICAGO (AP) ―
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Journalist Robert Novak leaves U.S. District Court during trial of Lewis Libby, Washington D.C., Feb. 12, 2007. (File)
AP
Columnist Robert Novak, who was a central figure in the Valerie Plame CIA leak case, has died.
The Chicago Sun-Times says the longtime Washington fixture died at his home early Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 78.
Novak, editor of the Evans-Novak Political Report, had been a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times for decades. He is perhaps best known as the longtime co-host of CNN's "Crossfire" from 1980 to 2005.
He was the first to reveal the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame. His 2003 column came out eight days after Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, said the Bush administration had twisted prewar intelligence to exaggerate the threat posed by Iraq.
Novak announced that he had a brain tumor in 2008, less than a week after he struck a pedestrian with his Corvette in downtown Washington and drove away. He received a $50 citation for the accident.
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