Wars are expensive, especially if you're new country and haven't quite worked out your

financial system yet.

During the Revolutionary War, America was often close to broke.

That is, until Robert Morris, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, stepped in.

Appointed the new superintendent of finance, he used his contacts and personal wealth to

borrow money, source munitions, and pay the troops.

But once the war was won, there were suspicions Morris had profited from his position.

Could he have used the secret deals he made to supply the army to enrich himself at the

same time?

In 1790, he became the subject of the first ever congressional investigation.

There was not enough evidence to prove his guilt.

Now, Republicans in Congress are using those same powers to investigate the president's

son.

I'm John Prado and this is Chex and Balance from the Economist.

Each week, we take one big theme, shaping American politics, and explore it in depth.

Today, will the Hunter Biden saga spell trouble for Joe Biden?

A tragic death of a beloved brother, a dissent into addiction and vice, and a mysterious

laptop seized upon by political enemies as evidence of corruption?

House Republicans hope that by delving into Hunter Biden's murkier business dealings,

they'll find a trail of wrongdoing leading back to the president.

Is this just the usual partisan mud slinging?

Or is there more to Hunter's laptop than that?

...