Inquiry’s Trail: From George Washington Bridge to United’s Executive Offices

It was a traffic jam that, in the end, rerouted the career of the chief executive of the world’s fourth-largest airline, and how one led to the other is a tale of power, politics and New Jersey wheeling-dealing.

Until Tuesday, Jeff Smisek was the chief executive of United Airlines. Mark Sokolich is the mayor of the borough of Fort Lee, N.J., which was gridlocked two years ago this week after allies of Gov. Chris Christie ordered lanes to the George Washington Bridge closed.

As improbable as it may seem — as improbable as they were to begin with — the lane closings that were intended to punish Mayor Sokolich set off a chain of events that eventually led to Mr. Smisek’s surprise resignation, and those of two top lieutenants.

Like a never-ending thread, the federal investigation into the lane closings led prosecutors to look into the dealings of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the bridge, and its chairman at the time, David Samson. This revealed his close relationship with officials at United, the largest carrier at Newark Liberty International Airport, which the authority runs.

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