David Sampson Resigns From His Firm....

[Laxman]

and retires from the practice of law! This may be the most interesting development in the Christie saga in quite a while! Could this be a harbinger of good things to come? The man who only a year ago was the most powerful non-elected member of the Christie crew is slipping off into oblivion? I wonder why? We can only hope it's in anticipation of a slew of indictments. If you don't know who David Sampson is, check out the Christie Crime Digest Volumes I & II (soon to include Volume III) There are plenty of stories about his misdeeds and undue influence.

Former Port Authority chairman resigns from law firm he co-founded

Former Port Authority Chairman David Samson, who resigned from the agency a year ago amid the broadening investigation into the 2013 Goerge Washington Bridge lane closures, announced Tuesday that he was retiring from the powerful law firm he co-founded.

"For personal, professional and health reasons, I have made the decision to retire," Samson, 75, said in a statement issued by his spokeswoman, Karen Kessler. "After my five decades of practicing law, it was time for new leaders to transition the firm for the future."

The politically connected firm, Wolff & Samson, has a broad range of practices including lobbying and real estate law, and has represented public agencies.

Not only is Samson leaving the firm, his name is, too. The 43-year-old firm, based in West Orange and New York City, is changing its name to Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC, according to its website. The leadership reflected in the firm's new name includes Jeffrey Chiesa, a former state attorney general appointed by Gov. Chris Christie, who had also named Samson as Port Authority chairman.

Read the rest here: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/04/former_port_authority_chairman_resigns_from_law_fi.html#incart_river

Merely quitting wasn't enough-the firm is changing its name to eliminate all traces of Samson! Personal, professional & health reasons my eye!

[Beach Rat]

1. Something's got to be up here!

There's no way he's just quitting the firm. There's no way the firm is just ditching his name. What do you think is going on?

[2naSalit]

5. Probably about to be

disbarred and indicted or the other way around. Maybe the other partners did their own investigation and want to be rid of him as he may be about to become a stinking, dead albatross.

[gratuitous]

2. Sounds like Sampson is being quite honest

Personal reason: I'm about to go to jail.

Professional reason: The state bar tends to yank your ticket when you go to jail.

Health reason: 75-year-olds don't usually fare too well in prison.

[Laxman]

3. I Really Hope That This Is An Indication...

that the noose is tightening. I think he'll flip on Christie in a heartbeat. He's in up to his ears in Hoboken, the American Dream Mall, the NJ Transit lease, the lottery privatization, the Harrison PATH station, the Pinelands pipeline, the Atlantic City Airport deal, the private flights by United to South Carolina. Any one of those things is a potential indictment. Any number of them tie back to Christie or a member of his administration. The firm is definitely not changing it's name just because he's leaving. They're distancing themselves from him. (although how far can Christie henchman Chiesa run?)

As far as the health reasons go-I'll steal a line from Rocktivity-The thought of being indicted was making him sick!

[Laxman]

4. Please Allow Me To Add...

this little excerpt from the Wall Street Journal's article on this development...

Ultimately, Mr. Samson became a casualty of what investigators have suggested was political strong-arming gone too far: an apparent effort to punish a Democratic mayor on the far side of the George Washington Bridge for not endorsing Mr. Christie by using lane closures to inundate the borough of Fort Lee with traffic.

In public, Mr. Samson kept his distance from the key figures of the lane closure scandal as it built in the fall of 2013. But subsequent releases of internal communications show that he seethed at what he perceived as efforts by the authority’s New York-appointed executive director, Patrick Foye, to blow the whistle on the lane closures.

The lane closures drew the attention of federal prosecutors, who have since broadened their inquiries into the authority, according to people familiar with the matter, including potential mingling of Mr. Samson’s public duties as chairman with the private interests of Wolff & Samson.

Prosecutors are looking into whether Mr. Samson asked United Airlines for a special weekly flight to visit his vacation home in South Carolina while the company was negotiating with the Port Authority. The flight was ended after Mr. Samson left the position.

Prosecutors have interviewed people and asked questions that indicate they are looking for evidence of quid pro quo, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Mr. Samson hasn't been accused of a crime. Through his spokeswoman, he has defended his performance and suggested he would be cleared of any wrongdoing.

The outcome of those investigations remains unclear. People familiar with the matter have told the Journal that U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s team has recently re-interviewed potential witnesses in its investigation, a sign that a resolution of the probe could be coming soon.

More recently, attorneys representing subjects of the investigation have said that Mr. Fishman’s office has been quiet compared with the spate of activity several weeks ago.

I guess reading this article is worth giving Methuselah some clicks over on his evil site: http://www.wsj.com/articles/former-port-authority-chairman-david-samson-retires-from-law-firm-1428431368?KEYWORDS=david+samson