ALEXANDRIA, VA - American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene issued the following statement today on the passing of Bob Novak:

Bob Novak was a true giant and will be missed by all who knew him.

He was a courageous journalist, a man of ideas and spent a lifetime fighting for what he believed to be right. As the millions who read his column over the years know, he was not "just" an opinion columnist; he was a great reporter who regularly scooped his colleagues through hard work and a lifetime of contacts from one end of the political spectrum to the other.

The combative Bob Novak, beloved by so many who knew him only through his television persona, was only a part of the personality of one of the most patriotic, compassionate and loyal men I have ever known.

As I look back over the nearly four decades I've spent in Washington, I can think of very, very few I've admired more or been more honored to have known and been able to call a friend than Bob.

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The American Conservative Union (ACU) is the nation's largest conservative organization.