Wisconsin Sen. Joe McCarthy re-enters national conversation

APPLETON, Wis. — Wisconsin Sen. Joe McCarthy and his crusade against alleged communists in the 1950s are back in the news.

President Donald Trump referred to McCarthyism in one of his late-night tweetstorms. USA Today Network-Wisconsin reports that others have broached McCarthy’s name in debates over illegal immigration and travel bans.

Historians have largely attributed the recent interest in McCarthy to his personal and ideological ties to the candidacy and election of Trump.

McCarthy is the subject of two books that are in the works from former Boston Globe journalist Larry Tye and Wisconsin native David Maraniss, a Washington Post editor and biographer.

Tye says he’s seeking fresh stories about McCarthy. Maraniss didn’t respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment.

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