Can't Tell The Players Without A Scorecard

[Laxman]

There are a lot of theories and speculation surrounding the Chris Christie GWB caper. A lot of names and ideas about whether or not its realistic that Christie didn't know about the lane closures, or the fact that they were punitive in nature until he read about it in the Bergen Record last Wednesday. There are a lot of reasons why Christie's denials are unbelievable. One big reason is his long-standing relationship with Port Authority chairman David Samson. Documents turned over to the legislative committee investigating the lane closures included both the scheduling of a meeting between Christie and Samson in July, before the "time for some traffic in Fort Lee" message and an assurance that "Samson is helping us retaliate" once Patrick Foye stepped in to reverse the lane closures. I'm not going to spend time on the 1,000 + pages of e-mails and texts that are out there. Others can do a good job going through them. Giving some idea of just how close the Port Authority chairman, his law firm, development interests and the good governor are might help some of this make sense.

Samson and Christie go way back. Its simply not credible that these two didn't talk substantively about the lane closures between when they occurred and last week. Why, well lets look into it. David Samson was a partner and founder of the politically connected law firm Wolff & Samson. They are the state's republican power firm. They represent many of the state's large developers. These clients are the some of the same folks who put Christie up to running for governor in the first place.

When Christie was U.S. Attorney for NJ, he found himself in need of a law firm to act as monitor for some corrupt medical device companies. One of the firms selected for this work? Wolff & Samson. When Christie ran for governor, who were his attorneys? David Samson and Jeff Chiesa form the firm-Wolff & Samson. When Christie put together a transition team, who led it? David Samson and Jeff Chiesa. When Christie got around to making appointments as governor, who did he choose? David Samson for the plum Port Authority position, Jeff Chiesa, who had worked for Christie at the U.S. Attorney's office before Wolff & Samson, was named first his Chief Counsel, then NJ Attorney General, then interim U.S. Senator to replace Frank Lautenberg. Lori Grifa of Wolff & Samson was named to the cabinet post of Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs.

David Samson and Jeff Chiesa arrived at Chris Christie’s Election Night headquarters on Nov. 3 with their attache cases filled with legal briefs, prepared for every possible scenario that could send the neck-and-neck governor’s race to court....When Christie won going away, his top attorneys got an entirely different challenge: Build a government almost from scratch. "I didn’t know if I was going to have to go to Staples and get pads and pencils and seat cushions and computers," Chiesa said. Six weeks later, the legal briefs have been replaced with piles of resumes and drafts of policy plans. But Samson and Chiesa remain in charge — and just as intense — as Christie shifts from surviving a ferocious campaign to running a fiscally strapped state.

Samson's firm has prospered under the Christie administration:

Wolff & Samson, for example, earned more than $1.9 million in the first two years of the Christie administration, more than twice its take in the last two years under Corzine. A founding member, David Samson, was counsel to Christie’s gubernatorial campaign. Samson and Jeffrey Chiesa, who was also a partner in the firm, led the governor’s transition team. After taking office, Christie named Samson chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Chiesa his chief of staff. Chiesa is now attorney general.

Read the article here.

If you think that Christie and Samson don't talk you're crazy. If you don't think that David Samson is one of Christie's closest confidants, you're crazy. If you don't think that the influence of Wolff & Samson isn't all over the Christie Administration-you're crazy. If you think that Samson and Christie didn't discuss this matter at length-you're crazy.

Christie, developers, David Samson, Wolff & Samson-they're all connected at the hip. So if it turns out that there is some connection between real estate developers and the GWB closures-there's a good chance that one of the state's most powerful development/redevelopment firms is somewhere close by. If that firm is close by, can Christie himself be far away?

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

1. When all is said and done.

Will this undo all of them. Will they cast Christie aside and replace him with another lackey? Is there a connection between the Fort Lee redevelopment and this firm? Did one of their clients want this project? This almost raises as many questions as it answers.

[Cha]

2. "Samson is helping us retaliate" everyone was in on it except

Christie .. they kept him in the dark like a mushroom and only fed him shit.

After all "Politics ain't beanbag."

Well done, Laxman.. can't wait to find out the very end of this saga but I will like millions of others.

[Laxman]

3. We're Being Played For Fools....

You're right. Everybody was in on this except Christie. 99% of N.J. Corruption cases involve real estate development in some form. Nearly 100% of what goes on in the Christie administration involves some connection to David Samson. I've got to believe that if this thing is pressed, this is where it will lead. To quote General Grant-Then let the thing be pressed.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

4. So much of NJ Politics is based on personal relationships

Just from my limited experience, I've got to believe that this is the crux of this affair. It fits in with all of the other relationships in the state today and the redevelopment angle makes sense. Its like a predictable chemical reaction. Mix development, Samson, Christie and heat to a certain temperature and you get an explosion.

[malaise]

5. They represent many of the state's large developers

Any link to the Fort Lee Redevelopment project

[Laxman]

6. I think that's where the pressure point in this affair is...

Its harder to find out because unlike litigation, the representation of a developer isn't easy to ascertain. Somebody with the resources and time might be able to find this out. Who responded to the RFP that Fort Lee put out for Redevelopment Area 5. Who was successful, who was not. Some of the discussion was done in closed session of the Fort Lee council. Getting to the bottom of this isn't going to be easy without somebody on the inside giving some insight. Just like the Christie administration, this is an incestuous community. There's never more than one or two degrees of separation between the players. That's why I say that if there's redevelopment going on, Wolff & Samson is nearby. If Wolff & Samson is nearby, Christie isn't far from them.

[ProSense]

7. Both Samson and Christie

"If you think that Christie and Samson don't talk you're crazy."

...lied: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024319407

[malaise]

8. I wrote elsewhere that Samson could be

Christie's Delilah

[Laxman]

9. That is Excellent!

and apropos. I think it is Samson who pulls the strings here. I'm still laughing.

[malaise]

10. Might have to change some words - run Christie run - too late

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

11. Pull The Strings?

I think I have video of Samson manipulating things!

Mistakes made! The story must be told!

Chilling.

[Laxman]

12. Don't You Have Work To Do? n/t