In May 1949, at 33, Wechsler became the editor of "The New York Post" and, in an unusual arrangement, he was in charge of both the news operation and the editorial page. "The Post" then became known as a crusading liberal newspaper, undertaking investigate exposés of figures like J. Edgar Hoover, Walter Winchell, and Robert Moses. In September 1952, the paper published a story about a fund financed by wealthy California businessmen to supplement Senator Richard Nixon's office expenses that led Nixon to respond in his famous televised Checkers speech during his successful quest for the vice-presidency.