Refers to the first recorded act of scandalous political misbehavior committed by an American government official; it involved George Washington and a hatchet.
The tale about "little Georgie" and his hatchet is actually a myth, but is makes a good story, nonetheless. It is known, however, that Washington was guilty of far more "treesonous" acts (like mistreating his slaves and wrongfully jailing farmers) than merely being irresponsible with his lumberjack skills.