How did a suicide help lead to the downfall of one of the most corrupt government officials in American history? In his new book, "Crooked: The Roaring Twenties Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, A Crusading Senator and the Birth of the American Political Scandal," Nathan Masters describes how Harry Daugherty went too far to protect his friends and the political power structure built by President Warren Harding. Masters argues that while Harding might not have been as corrupt as modern historians often say, his hands-off approach may have created the conditions for inevitable scandals. He features the story of a plucky senator named Burton Wheeler, who had the gall to go after the seemingly-untouchable attorney general. Masters also describes how the flawed media of the age contributed to the scandal, and why the name Harry Daugherty has been largely forgotten.

Nathan Master's website is at https://nathanmasters.me

Information on his book can be found at https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/nathan-masters/crooked/9780306826139/

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