Christie Administration Corruption Probe Has 'New Details,' Could Produce More Charges

Investigators will reportedly review “new details” emerging in a corruption probe involving the Christie administration as one of the governor’s former associates prepares to plead guilty in connection with the “Bridgegate” scandal Friday.

The details involve one of the key players in the scandal that once was focused solely on the political-payback traffic jams that were ordered near the George Washington Bridge in 2013.

Now the probe could involve abuse-of-power allegations centered on former Port Authority Chariman David Samson, a close Christie ally, and his alleged efforts to exchange project approvals for favors, according to reports.

Bloomberg News has reviewed documents showing there may have been a direct link between a request for a United flight that would bring Samson closer to his weekend home in South Carolina, and the Port Authority’s process of approving projects involving Newark Liberty International Airport.

According to Bloomberg:

“They [allegations] raise the possibility of bribery or extortion, according to legal experts who reviewed the information in the documents.”

As many as eight people could be indicted soon in the notorious Fort Lee traffic jam, 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, and some have suggested that Christie is also awaiting the results of the investigation before making a decision on a presidential run.

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 and former Port Authority deputy director Bill Baroni, according to the report.

David Wildstein, a former top Port Authority appointee, is set to plead guilty on Friday in the ”Bridgegate” scandal, and could cooperate with prosecutors probing the traffic jams, according to Bloomberg.

Samson also could be named in an indictment, 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 reports. Samson’s firm also said it was changing its name.

According to Bloomberg:

• Jeffery Smisek, United’s chief executive officer, wanted funding for several projects at Newark airport when the executive dined with Samson in September 2011.
• During the dinner, Samson noted he had grown weary of a trip to his weekend home in Aiken, S.C. because the best flight out of Newark was to Charlotte, N.C. He noted that Continental had run direct service from Newark to Columbia, S.C., 100 miles closer, until 2009.

“In a tone described by one observer as ’playful, but not joking,’ Samson asked: Could United revive that route? An awkward silence fell over the table.”

• Showing he wasn’t joking, Samson “ratcheted up the pressure” after the dinner, possibly suggesting through a United lobbyist that he was maneuvering to delay the airline’s project requests.
• The Port Authority ultimately approved a new United hangar, and Samson got his “chairman’s flight.” Four days after Samson left the Port Authority in March 2014, the flight was canceled.

Related stories:

• First Christie Associate To Plead Guilty In ‘Bridgegate’ Scandal; Could Cooperate With Investigators
• Prosecution Reportedly Closing In On Christie Administration As Governor’s Popularity Fades
• Most Say Christie Should Leave Office If Committed Crime
• Bribery Possibly Involved As ‘Bridgegate’ Indictments Could Come Soon
• WATCH: As Possible Indictments Loom, Christie Sets Presidential Announcement Timeline