Hey, history lovers. I'm Mike Rosenwald with RetroPod, a show about the past, rediscovered.

Back in his day, Robert Morris was a pretty big deal. He was one of just two men to sign all three of the

nation's founding documents, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution.

Morris came to prominence by making a pile of money in the shipping industry, and when things

went south with the British, he employed his ships and business connections to trade flour

and other goods to France for guns.

Morris took on a series of important financial posts in government.

But in becoming the so-called financier of the revolution,

Morris also became a target of critics who wondered whether he was using his financial

know-how and insider status to benefit himself.

In 1790, fed up with constant attacks in the press, Morris did something truly extraordinary.

He wrote a letter to President George Washington and both houses in Congress asking, almost begging,

to be investigated for maladministration.

Your memorialist is desirous that a strict examination should be had into his conduct in order

that if he is guilty of maladministration, it may be detected and punished.

Morris's mouthful of a demand was taken up in the House of Representatives.

There, members referred it to a select committee.

That act ultimately helped lay the foundation for the wide-ranging subpoena power

Congress uses to investigate slash torment the executive branch, including

the president. That's right, the fiery congressional hearings that have captivated Americans for

centuries, from the John Brown raid to Watergate to the Iran-Contra affair to President Trump,

began with the founding father raising his hand to say, investigate me.

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