Prosecution Reportedly Closing In On Christie Administration As Governor's Popularity Fades

Some say Gov. Chris Christie may have revived his presidential chances this past week with some well-reviewed appearances in New Hampshire.

But in New Jersey, many are still waiting for the next shoe to drop in a scandal that continues to damage the governor’s reputation in his home state and may be contributing to his slide in nationwide polls.

As many as eight people could be indicted soon in the notorious Fort Lee traffic jam in September 2013 that was reportedly ordered by aides of Christie, according to any number of news sources, from NBC News to The New York Times to Esquire Magazine. Private talks with sources close to the investigation confirm those reports.

Emails showed at least one of Christie’s staff members allegedly conspired to purposely close traffic lanes in Fort Lee in September 2013, causing major delays and safety issues in the town closest to the George Washington Bridge.

The New York Times recently reported that the federal investigation into the controversial lane closings - meant as political payback against officials who did not endorse his 2013 re-election bid - could lead to the announcement of indictments by the end of the month.

Few expect Christie himself to face charges himself. But if the indictments do come, they’d likely name former staffers thought to be behind the scandal, according to politickernj.com.

Those ex-staffers could include: former Christie aide Bridget Kelly, former Port Authority official David Wildstein and former Port Authority deputy director Bill Baroni, according to the report.

Former Port Authority Chairman David Samson could also be named, amplified by his recent decision to step down from his longtime-post as co-founder of the politically-connected law firm Wolff & Samson, according to the report. Samson’s firm also said it was changing its name.

Philip Kwon, formerly a top attorney at the Port Authority who helped prepare Baroni’s initial testimony in front of the Assembly Transportation Committee in December of 2013, could also be targeted, according to the report.

As the scandal drags on, Christie’s popularity continues to slip. A five-day poll that surveyed more than 1,400 New Jersey residents showed nearly two-thirds of Garden Staters believe Christie should be removed from office if it is proven he ordered the notorious Fort Lee traffic jam in September 2013.

While the poll, created by Politico.com, showed Christie’s job approval rating continued to slide from 56 percent to 38 percent, most polltakers felt the governor should be removed from office and, further, prosecuted if he gave the go-ahead in the “Bridgegate” scandal.

Meanwhile, Paul Fishman, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, has recently empaneled a second grand jury, and the U.S. Justice Department has sent assistant prosecutors and FBI agents to work the case, according to Esquire magazine.

The clearest, quickest road to Christie could be through Samson, a former attorney general of New Jersey who reportedly suffers from Parkinson’s disease and many want to make a deal with the prosecution, according to the report.

Records from other areas have been targeted at the Port Authority in the expanding investigation, according to The Associated Press.

According to the report, they include:

• Hoboken Democratic Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s claims that Christie officials tied her city’s Superstorm Sandy aid to her approval of a redevelopment project whose developer was represented by Samson’s law firm.
• Circumstances surrounding construction projects at the Bayonne and Goethals bridges.
• Potential conflicts of interest involving Samson.
• Samson’s flights between Newark and his home in South Carolina that were discontinued three days after his resignation as Port Authority chairman in 2014.
• Planned meetings between Port Authority officials and Democratic Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who claimed the meetings were canceled after he declined to endorse Christie’s re-election bid.
• The cancellation of a NJ Transit rail tunnel project into Manhattan in 2010.
• The renovation of the Pulaski Skyway.