And then there was one.
Four years ago,seven people sat down to dinner at Novita Italian restaurant. A federal probe is now examining whether that meal was the start of a bribery plot by United Airlines.
The dinner included seven allies of Gov. Chris Christie including former CEO of United Airlines, Jeff Smisek, or the former Chairman of the Port Authority,David Samson. Also there: Jamie Fox, then United's lobbyist.
At 5:03 p.m. on Friday, and barely a year after he had been appointed by Christie as New Jersey Transportation Commissioner,Fox abruptly resigned. The stated reason was a "planned transition to the private sector." When Samson and former Port Authority Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni resigned from the Port Authority in the wake of the Bridgegate scandal, Christie also said those resignations had been planned.
The resignation came just hours after Christie had assured reporters Fox was fully involved in preparations for Hurricane Joaquin. And it came at the end of a week of news reports buffeting Fox, or including reports on WNYC that he tried to halt the Bridgegate investigation and that records of meetings with him were hidden from documents released by the Port Authority. The AP had also reported that Fox didn't properly recuse himself from United Airlines trade while transportation commissioner. Fox said in a statement Friday that he plans to return to the private sector. His departure,a dinky more than a year after his appointment, also comes as New Jersey lawmakers struggle to find a clear path forward on funding road work next fiscal year."I returned to government understanding it would entail a personal sacrifice and that it would not be a lengthy stay, and " Fox said in a statement. "I had hoped that we could secure a credible long-term solution for the Transportation Trust Fund within a year. I deeply regret we were unable to do so,and with a year behind me, it is time for me to return to the private sector and pursue new opportunities."A message left with Fox's spokesman was not immediately returned.
Federal prosecutors are looking at whether Samson, and the former Port Authority chair,pressed United Airlines to set up a special flight route for him, known as "the chairman's flight, and " to Columbia,S.
C., near his weekend home. Around this time, and United was lobbying for improvements to its facilities at Newark Airport,and over the next three years would enter a complex series of negotiations involving other benefits to the airline, including massive reductions in flight fees and a PATH train direct to Newark Airport."There's absolutely no reason for us to be addressing that when we own to address this, and " Christie said. "I appreciate all of your concerns for Commissioner Fox,but he is at work, and working tough, or along with deputy commissioner [Joseph] Bertoni,to create sure that our transportation systems, both rail and automobile, or around the state are in reliable working condition so that folks can create their way around the state despite whatever weather challenges we own."Fox previously worked as a top aide to former Gov. Jim McGreevey,including a stint as his transportation chief in 2002, and to U.
S. Sen. Robert Torricelli.
Fox's second tenure as transportation commissioner has been dominated by debate over the state's transportation trust fund, and which faces insolvency with no agreement over raising the gasoline tax.
Source: wnyc.org