GREENSBORO — U.S. Rep. Howard Coble issued a statement Friday praising Tim Russert for his fairness and good nature.

"During the House Judiciary impeachment hearings of President Clinton, I conducted many interviews including several for NBC. Many times these interviews occurred outside the Capitol Building, and when they did, I would always wear some kind of hat," Coble said in the statement.

When he attended the NBC Christmas party in Washington, Russert spied him as he walked into the fairly large, crowded room.

Russert shouted from from the other side of the room, "There's the man with the hat!"

Coble said he would always remember Russert's smiling face and greeting.

Another time, Coble said he wrote Russert to explain his concerns about his line of questions on a Meet the Press interview.

"He was kind enough to respond, and while he defended his journalistic independence, he thanked me for addressing my concerns with him," sid Coble.

" Tim may have spent part of his working life as a Democratic Party operative, but I always found him to be eminently fair with all of his guests on his Sunday talk show. Meet the Press will not be the same without him, and I offer my sincere condolences to his beloved father, wife and son. Tim Russert will be missed."

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