Early in
1954, the
U.S. Army accused
Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (
Republican,
Wisconsin), and his chief counsel,
Roy Cohn, of pressuring the Army to give preferential treatment to former McCarthy aide and friend of Cohn's,
G. David Schine. McCarthy claimed that the accusation was made in bad faith, in retaliation for his recent aggressive investigations of suspected Communists and security risks in the Army. A special committee, under the chairmanship of Senator
Karl Mundt, was appointed to adjudicate these conflicting charges, and the hearings opened on
April 22, 1954. The hearings were televised, and many believe that they contributed significantly to McCarthy's subsequent decline in popularity.
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