Corzine gets second subpoena to testify

Former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine will be making multiple trips to Capitol Hill in the coming days.

A second congressional committee has voted to subpoena him to appear and discuss the bankruptcy of his former firm, MF Global.

The Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously agreed to compel Corzine’s testimony Tuesday for a hearing slated for Dec. 13. 

“It’s important that citizens come forward and testify when asked by our committee, especially in a matter this serious,” Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said. “The committee’s bipartisan actions today demonstrate our commitment to understanding what happened to cause the extraordinary collapse of MF Global.”

{mosads}The subpoena will make for a unique environment at the hearing, as Corzine served as a U.S. senator from 2001 to 2005, working alongside some of the members who will be questioning him.

Corzine has currently been subpoenaed to appear before the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday. And the House Financial Services Committee, which also is holding a hearing on the high-profile bankruptcy of MF Global, will vote Wednesday on whether to issue its own subpoena.

That bankruptcy, the eighth largest in the nation’s history, was reportedly driven by extensive bets on European bonds pushed primarily by Corzine. Of particular interest to lawmakers is the location of $1.2 billion in customer funds that cannot be located, amidst concerns that they were improperly used to keep the company afloat in its final days. 

Corzine joined MF Global after losing his gubernatorial reelection bid and resigned from the company days after it collapsed.