WNYC Roasts Christie & Samson

[Laxman]

Quite a segment as Andrea Bernstein gives a primer on the things we have discussed at length here on DU. Well worth the few minutes to listen.

http://www.wnyc.org/story/port-authoritys-big-money-shifting-scheme/

If you're tired of reading about this, you can relax and take it all in listening.

While Chris Christie has been Governor of New Jersey, the lobbying business for Wolff & Samson -- David Samson's law firm -- has soared.



Check out his firm's income increase here: http://project.wnyc.org/wolff-samson/ truly remarkable!

[ColumbusLib]

1. This has been covered on MSNBC

On Rachel, I think. The increase in their profits when Christie appointed Samson is unbelievable; it's disgusting.

[Beach Rat]

3. Man does this really show how important good reporters are!

An engaged and aggressive press really can make a difference. I remember reading a study that showed the amount of inside deals an other corruption that occurs in states that don't have a state-wide newspaper with a bureau in the state capital.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

2. Now can I post this?

smug bastards think they run the state. Well, maybe they do. I've actually gotten along fairly well with the litigation people there. I just hate the whole notion that they've built this empire on playing both sides of the fence-sometimes more than just both sides-on matters they handle.

[Laxman]

4. Hopefully, This Level....

of scrutiny will be the undoing of Christie and Samson. One more matter that we haven't really touched on here is the American Dream Mall in Bergen County-that's the multi-colored monstrosity across from Met-Life Stadium. Samson represented the financier for the project-the Bergen County Improvement Authority, the developer-Triple Five, and his partner Lori Griffa had just re-joined the firm after her stint as DCA Commissioner, a job that includes being chairperson of the Meadowllands Commission, a regional planning agency with authority over the American Dream mall site. Wow- its one thing to cover both sides of a transaction- he had three sides covered!

Remember the Wolff & Samson Firm Motto: Quad Est In Loco (The Fix is In)

...emails suggest that Mr. Samson, even though his vast agency is in charge of the region’s ports, airports, bridges and tunnels, was unconcerned that thousands of people might have been trapped in a colossal traffic jam that was created to punish a Democratic mayor who would not endorse Mr. Christie, a Republican, for re-election. But the emails show Mr. Samson as very concerned about politics, specifically that Patrick J. Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority, was trying to get to the bottom of the jam.

“In this case, he’s playing in traffic, made a big mistake,” Mr. Samson wrote about Mr. Foye, who was appointed by the New York side of the bistate agency.

read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/nyregion/post-scandal-future-unclear-for-port-authoritys-low-profile-leader.html?_r=0

[Laxman]

5. Kicking This Back To The Top....

for the evening crowd. This really explains so much. An interesting listen.

And remember Quad Est In Loco $2.7 million in lobbying income alone the first three years after Christie took office. There's a whole year of data yet to come!