David Samson (born August 14, 1939) is an American lawyer who served as New Jersey Attorney General under Democratic governor Jim McGreevey from 2002 to 2003.
He served as the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) from 2011 until his resignation on March 28, 2014 in the aftermath of the Fort Lee lane closure scandal.
[7][8] Samson was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and sentenced to a year of home confinement at the South Carolina vacation house that was subject of the crime.
As Chairman of the New Jersey Domestic Security Preparedness Task Force, he worked hand-in-hand with federal agencies in organizing and directing counter-terrorism efforts throughout the New Jersey-New York area.
Samson has also acted as a court-appointed labor union trustee, a civil litigation discovery master and as a federal monitor pursuant to a United States Department of Justice deferred prosecution agreement.
[citation needed] In January 2014, it was revealed in subpoenaed e-mails that Samson had tried to retaliate against Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Executive Director Patrick J. Foye, who allegedly leaked his own September 13, 2013, e-mail criticizing the closure of two of three local toll lanes to the George Washington Bridge without following regular protocols and without notifying Foye, and supported David Wildstein, who resigned from the Port Authority in December 2013, for his role in closing those dedicated toll lanes for an entrance in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
[20] On February 19, 2014 Samson apologized on behalf of the commissioners "for inconvenience caused to our travelers" without directly stating that it was due to plans by some individuals to cause traffic jams with the toll lane closings at the bridge,[21] and without acknowledging the detrimental effects on the borough of Fort Lee and its public services, mayor, and officials[22] The editorial board of The Star-Ledger, a New Jersey newspaper with the largest circulation in the state, assessed Samson's apology as "too little, too late", noted a list of his failures and conflicts of interests, and called for him to resign.
[31][32] The Bergen County freeholders (county legislature), which has no oversight over the PA, called for the resignation of both Chairman Samson (since his political activity allegedly conflicted with his actions regarding the aftermath of the lane closures and other PA issues) and the other five New Jersey appointed commissioners (based on their failure to exercise oversight in the aftermath of the Bridgegate controversy).
[46] In January 2015, federal prosecutors subpoenaed records related to Samson's personal travel, and his relationship with Newark Liberty International Airport's largest carrier, United Airlines, as part of a probe into a flight route initiated by United while Samson was chairman of the transportation agency that operates the region's airports.
The route provided non-stop service between Newark and Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina, located about 50 mi (80 km) from a home where Samson often spent weekends.
Samson referred to the twice-a-week route — with a flight leaving Newark on Thursday evenings and another returning on Monday mornings — as “the chairman’s flight.”[47][48] The PANYNJ cooperated with the investigation.
[7][8] Samson was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and sentenced to a year of home confinement at the South Carolina vacation house that was subject of the crime.