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David Samson
Gov. Chris Christie’s top official at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was in frequent telephone contact with Christie advisers at the authority and in Trenton during the week of the George Washington Bridge lane shutdowns last September.
David Samson, who resigned under fire as authority chairman in March, spoke with Bill Baroni eight times, David Wildstein six times, Regina Egea three times, and Kevin O’Dowd twice during the four days of the lane diversions that began Sept. 9.
Baroni and Wildstein have both resigned from authority executive jobs. Egea heads Christie’s Authorities Unit. O’Dowd is the governor’s chief of staff.
Samson has refused to testify to a legislative committee investigating the lane closures. He is reportedly under investigation by the U.S. Attorney of New Jersey for potential conflicts of interest involving lobbying by his law firm, Wolff & Samson, on behalf of clients doing business with the Port Authority.
The telephone calls were first reported by WNYC. The records were subpoenaed and released by the legislative committee.
Compared to other periods, the phone records show an increased level of activity among Christie team members, though the Christie administration has portrayed the lane closures as an event that the governor and his inner circle were unaware of.
