I decided to examine a little slice of the Port Authority Timeline, today. The one involving David Samson quietly slinking off into the New Jersey sunset. Somehow that internal review "pivot" had his PA Chairman's fingerprints all over it -- even though the Gibson Dunn Group chose NOT to interview this central figure, for some strange reason. Guess they had their 'for-hire' orders ...
UPDATED: Timeline of Port Authority's George Washington Bridge controversy
by Christopher Baxter, The Star-Ledger, nj.com -- Mar 11, 2014
[...]
Feb. 19: Samson apologizes to the public for the "inconvenience" caused by the lane closures. Meanwhile, Fort Lee releases 2,211 pages of documents it provided to lawyers working for Christie’s office.
[...]
Feb. 24: Records turned over to the state legislative committee show Samson has been "intimately involved" with day-to-day operations of the Port Authority. Meanwhile, Sokolich meets with federal prosecutors for more than three hours.
Feb. 25: During his radio show, Christie says his office continues to try to figure out why lanes to the bridge were closed and will eventually announce conclusions of the review.
[...]
So, despite feigning cluelessness, the NJ Investigation's documents show that Samson was a
hands-on manager.
Christie bridge scandal: Records show Samson's role; Fort Lee mayor meets with feds
by Christopher Baxter, The Star-Ledger, nj.com -- Feb 25, 2014
[...]
"It [the documents provided by Samson] paints a picture of a guy that’s intimately involved in the operations at the Port Authority," Wisniewski said. "He’s not a chairman of the board in a traditional sense, but a guy who’s making a lot of phone calls back and forth with folks down in Trenton."
[...]
Wisniewski said it would be hard for Samson to distance himself from the Port Authority by saying he only attends meetings and votes.
"When you see the intimate level of involvement, it’s hard to even come with a rationale why it’s not a conflict," Wisniewski said. "It becomes clear when you look at everything as a totality that the Port Authority really became a subdivision in the governor’s office."
[...]
Indeed, serious land developers in the NY-NJ areas, knew that:
"Samson is the lawyer you would go to if you wanted to influence the Christie Admin"
Cross them, at your career expense. (ala Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.)
All that serious insider wheeling and dealing, may just require some very serious insider lawyering -- to skate out of the political-quagmire that the Christie Administration caused.
Former Port Authority head David Samson pleads the Fifth in Bridgegate investigation
by Ginger Adams Otis, New York Daily News, nydailynews.com -- May 3, 2014
Ex-Port Authority head David Samson -- who had until Friday to comply with a request for additional documents related to the Bridgegate scandal -- is pleading the Fifth Amendment and refusing to cooperate.
Samson’s lawyers [Chertoff Group] said the bipartisan committee investigating September traffic lane closures at the George Washington Bridge was biased and violated confidentiality rules, The Star-Ledger reported.
[...]
About that "Samson Cohort" reference made in this post's title. I would think that this little bit of unscrutinized history, makes that label relevant:
Meet The Lawyer Trying To Weasel David Samson Out Of Investigation
by Scott Raab, esquire.com -- May 5, 2014
[...]
That sort of strategic thinking and execution doesn't come cheap, of course. Back before the subpoenas -- not long after David Samson was newly installed by his old pal Chris Christie to chair the Port Authority's Board of Commissioners -- the Port Authority handed the Chertoff Group a $300,000 contract for a six-month study of the PA's security operation. By keeping the payoff below half a million, the Port could award the contract without bidding it, and somehow that same six-month deal turned into a year and more, and somehow that $300,000 ballooned into a sweet $1.5 million for the Chertoff Group.
[...]
Here's another innocuous bullet point, someone might want to add to the Port Authority Timeline ... seeing as how Samson has tapped an old confidant for his
Get out of Jail Free card, now:
Port Authority security up for review
by Shawn Boburg, staff writer, The Record, northjersey.com -- May 27, 2011
[...]
The Port Authority owns and operates the World Trade Center, six interstate bridges and tunnels, the region's airports and several port facilities.
Port Authority officials said the selection of Chertoff Group "was handled internally given the sensitive nature of the contract". The agency's bylaws allow the Port Authority's executive director to award contracts under $500,000 without soliciting competitive bids or proposals.
"A number of different firms were suggested and evaluated as part of a collective effort by the board of commissioners and Port Authority staff," agency officials said in a statement released Thursday. "This firm will offer a fresh perspective and is best to meet the most critical security needs of the Port Authority."
[...]
Critical Security Needs -- like not causing day-long gridlock on one of area's main choke-points --
on 9/11!
Looks like still waters run very deep, down there in River City ...
And we can be pretty sure that Chertoff knows, which rocks NOT to turn over. Not if he wants to see those sweet million-dollar deals, keep no-bidding his way in the future.
Afterall, they haven't even starting looking at the Sandy Funds yet. A few well-placed leaks in that regard, could have his PA client home free.
As Rachel Maddow says, "Watch This Space."