James P Fox

[Fox] is linked to the two most notorious scandals to hit Gov. Chris Christie: Bridgegate and the Chairman's Flight. Fox tried to influence Democrats in the Legislature to back off from its investigation of the mysterious lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in the fall of 2013, according to three sources from the Legislature and Port Authority close to the investigation. And he expressed anger that the investigation persisted even after Port Authority deputy executive director, Bill Baroni, testified to the Assembly Transportation Committee that the lane closures were part of a traffic study. Baroni's testimony was discredited shortly afterward when the "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" email was released. It was unclear on whose behalf Fox did this lobbying, although he dined regularly with his friend, David Samson, the former Port Authority chairman and Christie confidante who is now ensnared in the so-called Chairman's Flight scandal. Federal investigators are looking into whether Samson asked United Airlines to establish a flight route from the Port Authority-owned Newark Liberty Airport to Columbia, S.C., where Samson has a weekend home, in a deal that would have lowered United's costs. Fox was a lobbyist for United dealing with a range of Port Authority issues when that deal was allegedly made. His communications with Samson have been subpoenaed by federal officials.