Tony Blankley, a conservative author and commentator who served as press secretary to Newt Gingrich during the 1990s, when Republicans took control of Congress, has died. He was 63. Blankley had been suffering from stomach cancer, died Saturday night at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., said his wife, Lynda Davis. Earlier, Blankley spent six years in the Reagan administration in a variety of positions, including speechwriter and senior policy analyst. From 2002 to 2007, he was editorial page editor of the Washington Times. In recent years, he wrote a syndicated newspaper column and provided political commentary for CNN, NBC and NPR. He was also a regular panelist on PBS' "The McLaughlin Group." He is also survived by three children.
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