TODAY IS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018
Trump’s 649th Day In Office

… Our Political Junkie We’ll Call “Cincy Dave” was already predicting a big win for “Crooked Hillary” with only Six More Days until Election Day 2016 while everybody at the Conservative Agenda was watching how concerned FBI Director James Comey was that publicly blaming Russia for hacks of Democrats could appear too political in the run-up to the election.   

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016
Today’s Good News And Bad News
From Our Local Political Junkie We’ll Call “Cincy Dave”

COMEY WAS CONCERNED ABOUT NOT SEEMING TOO POLITICAL
FBI Director James Comey was concerned that publicly blaming Russia for hacks of Democrats could appear too political in the run-up to the election. He advised the Obama administration not to blame Russia for hacking political organizations on the grounds that it would make the administration appear unduly partisan so close to the Nov. 8 election, according to officials familiar with the deliberations. Everyone is wondering how Comey can square that with his re-opening the email controversy one week before the election. Go figure. 

BAD NEWS FOR HILLARY
Just when Hillary could least afford it, the FBI decided to release its files from 2001 on the investigation into Bill Clinton’s pardon of Marc Rich, who died 3 years ago. Comey still seems concerned about keeping the FBI out of politics. More here: 

TRUMP STIFFS HIS POLLSTER
This really wouldn’t be news to the hundreds or thousands of contractors, clients, investors, workers, and students that Trump has stiffed in his long career but it is noteworthy because the guy is working on his ongoing campaign. Apparently, Trump is refusing to pay a three-quarter million dollar bill from pollster Tony Fabrizio, who has worked for many G.O.P. candidates in the past. Trump’s pattern in most situations has been to find something he dislikes about a contractor’s work, and use that as an excuse to “renegotiate” the contract, offering a fraction of the original total. The contractor then has the option to accept the pittance or take it to court, where he will be buried under years of legal bills as Trump’s lawyers fight to the death over every penny. Most contractors end up accepting what they are offered, and a few have been bankrupted. It is likely that The Donald can find fault in Fabrizio’s work because his polls don’t show what he would like them to show. However, we expect that the Trump campaign will quickly pay up after this news is out. More here: 

TRUMP’S TAX AVOIDANCE SCHEME
Trump avoided paying potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes in a way even his own lawyers considered questionable, The New York Times reported. The newspaper said the maneuver also may explain how Trump posted a one-year loss of more than $900 million a few years later, enabling him to avoid paying federal income taxes for perhaps 18 years. At issue is how Trump was able to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars of debt as his casino empire in Atlantic City went broke in the early 1990s. Canceled debt generally is treated as taxable income, meaning Trump would have owed the IRS significant money on debt that his creditors forgave. The Times said it obtained documents from a quarter-century ago showing Trump essentially traded the debt relief for nearly worthless “partnership equity” to avoid any tax liability. In practice, the strategy was almost identical to a tax maneuver that was already outlawed, but differed in minor details. Trump’s own lawyers advised him the IRS would likely find it improper if he were audited, the paper said, and Congress explicitly outlawed the maneuver in 2004. Hillary Clinton, then a New York senator, was among the lawmakers who voted to close the loophole. 

LATEST CONSPIRACY
The latest Clinton conspiracy story is not new – just one that is being recycled. And just in time for this election. The story is that Bill Clinton has a son, now 30 years old, whose mother was a black prostitute. This one went around 17 years ago, after his mother sold the story to tabloids. It was thoroughly debunked, because researchers went as far as to compare Bill Clinton’s DNA with the person who was claimed to be his son and the results were negative for parentage. Nevertheless, it is being brought back because it has the elements of a story that many Alt-Right supporters like to believe, combining race, illicit sex and Bill Clinton. More here: 

THE WEINER COMPUTER
Rumor has it that the FBI investigation of Anthony Weiner’s computer will take longer than expected because they have found that almost every one of the 650,000 emails on it contain Weiner selfies. Consequently, the FBI personnel reviewing them have to take frequent breaks and many agents are calling in sick the next day.

TODAY’S STATE POLLS
The spread in the Florida Poll looks doubtful. Hillary may win Florida, but the margin should be closer than 8 points. Again, there are two North Carolina polls with different results. Everything else in this set is the same as it has been.

— More Good News And Bad News Tomorrow —