Bill from Christie administration lawyers nears $7.5M
The law firm representing Governor Christie and his office in the George Washington Bridge scandal has now billed taxpayers just under $7.5 million for its work.
The firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, submitted expenses totaling $172,224 for work from August through November, according to records released by the state Friday.
Overall, the Attorney General’s Office spent $31 million on outside counsel in 2014 for the bridge investigations and other unrelated matters, according to the documents released Friday. That includes nearly $1.23 million paid to 16 law firms representing public employees who have been called as witnesses in the state and federal investigations into the lane closures. The office has declined to name the employees.
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The Attorney General’s Office also used outside counsel to work on cases related to NJ Transit, labor negotiations, investments, bonds, the state’s School Development Authority, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, much of which was merged with Rutgers University under legislation Christie signed in 2012.
The office released bill totals, but not the actual invoices that detail how many lawyers worked on individual cases and how many hours were billed.
The New Jersey Legislative Select Committee on Investigation, which led the state inquiry into the lane closures, spent $582,225.15 on attorneys in 2014, Tom Hester, a spokesman for the Assembly Democrats, said Friday.
When added to the money spent on attorneys to represent the governor and his staff, the total legal fees taxpayers paid related to the scandal comes to $9.27 million.
Christie hired Gibson Dunn to investigate his office after The Record reported last January that a deputy chief of staff in his office sent the email, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” to one of the governor’s appointees at the Port Authority.
In March, Gibson Dunn released its findings, clearing the governor of any involvement. The report was criticized by some Democrats as being a “whitewash” and also as being sexist for describing Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff, as emotional and desperate. The firm has also helped state employees respond to subpoenas issued by federal prosecutors and the legislative panel.
Among those the firm worked with is Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who also serves as secretary of state. The Department of State received a federal subpoena. Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer alleged Guadagno threatened to withhold Superstorm Sandy aid if the mayor did not support a development with ties to the former chairman of the Port Authority, David Samson, who was appointed by Christie. Guadagno has denied the allegations.
Gibson Dunn’s billing has slowed since its highpoint in March when 59 employees at the firm were working on behalf of the state — some billing more than 300 hours a month.
The state investigation has been put on hold at the request of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, who continues to look into the matter. And that investigation appears to be broadening.
The Record reported last week that federal prosecutors have asked the Port Authority to turn over documents related to Samson and his relationship with Newark Liberty International Airport’s largest carrier, United Airlines. United started a non-stop route from Newark to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina when Samson was chairman. He has a home 50 miles from that airport, where he often spent weekends with his wife. That route was canceled just days after Samson resigned amid questions about the bridge scandal last year.
Editor's note: This story has been updated from an earlier version to clarify that the state Department of State received a federal subpoena. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno serves as secretary of state, overseeing that department; she did not receive a subpoena herself.