It is starting to look as if this could be the traffic jam that ate New Jersey.

David Samson, one of the closest advisers to Gov. Chris Christie, is a little-known potentate in New Jersey politics: A former attorney general appointed by a Democratic governor, he was named chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey by Mr. Christie, a Republican. Mr. Samson served in Mr. Christie’s campaign for governor as counsel, and was chairman of the transition committee. His law firm, Wolff & Samson, is hired by developers and others for work in which the lawyers’ political connections, though not their visibility, are especially prized assets.

Yet Mr. Samson, 74, has emerged as a pivotal figure in efforts to contain the scandal around the throttling of access lanes at the George Washington Bridge as political punishment. Emails released last week show that Mr. Samson was regularly consulted by the political operatives at the port who conceived and carried out the shutdown.

Now, Mr. Samson, who had spoken about stepping down long before the uproar over the bridge, has again raised the subject, according to government officials who said that no final decision had been revealed and so spoke only on the condition of anonymity. They expect that could take place before the authority’s next board meeting in February. Aides to Mr. Christie said they knew of no plans by Mr. Samson to resign, and in an email on Tuesday night, Mr. Samson said, “The story is incorrect.”

If Mr. Samson is called to testify by legislators investigating the events, he is sure to be asked questions that he has yet to address in any public forum about his actions in the aftermath of the traffic jam.