The Dark Art

Published: June 10, 2020, 4 a.m.

Political attacks have been around as long as democracy itself, but where exactly does the history of \u201coppo research\u201d begin? Hosts Kate Andersen Brower and Joseph Rodota interview historian and author Susan Swain about a campaign in which the target of opposition researchers wasn\u2019t the candidate \u2013 it was the candidate\u2019s wife. And in 2016, Liz Mair unearths a risqu\xe9 photo of Melania Trump, setting in motion a series of charges and counter-charges on the campaign trail \u2013 and provoking an ominous threat.