7 Things: White House isn’t participating in impeachment, Alabama growth is located in four counties, Merrill out of U.S. Senate race and more …

7. Harris aide claiming mistreatment

  • One of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris’ (D-CA) top aides, Kelly Mehlenbacher, has resigned. In her resignation letter, she claims that Harris’ 2020 Democratic presidential campaign “treats its staff so poorly.”
  • Mehlenbacher said that she’s never seen a campaign treat people the way Harris’ has, adding she doesn’t “have confidence in our campaign or its leadership” In her letter, she also pointed out how the campaign has asked people to move across states and then will “lay them off with no notice, with no plan for the campaign, and without thoughtful consideration of the personal consequences to them or the consequences that their absence would have on the remaining staff.”

6. Schiff will be the first witness

  • U.S. Representative Doug Collins (R-GA), a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, has already said that he plans on making U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) the first witness during the committee’s role in the impeachment inquiry.
  • Collins said on “Fox News Sunday” that if Schiff chooses not to appear as a witness, “then I really question his veracity and what he’s putting in his report. I question the motive of why he’s doing it.” Collins went on to say that “If they have such a case, give us all the materials.”

5. An Auburn legend passes

  • Former Auburn Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan passed away at 69. The former star quarterback was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2003; a statement by the family noted he “fought a long and difficult battle as a result of his treatments.”
  • Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn noted that Sullivan was involved in his hiring and was appreciative of Sullivan helping him return to Auburn. He stated, “I will forever be indebted to Coach Sullivan for helping bring me back to Auburn to serve as the head football coach.” He also referred to him as “one of Auburn’s all-time greats on and off the field.”

4. Hunter Biden and Joe Biden had a weird Thanksgiving holiday

  • News stories surrounding the older Biden were rather odd over the last few days, but the former vice president continues to lead in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary as he bites his wife’s finger on stage and an old video surfaces where he makes a strange statement about kids playing with his hairy legs and jumping in his lap and then refers to black kids as roaches.
  • The younger Biden had a series of embarrassing news stories break about his penchant for strip clubs, smoking crack in strip clubs, having sex toys used on him in strip clubs, stacks of pre-paid credit cards and his ongoing issues with a former stripper he conceived a child with while in a sexual relationship with his brother’s widow.

3. Merrill is out

  • The crowded Republican primary for the United States Senate seat got a little smaller as Secretary of State John Merrill has made a decision to suspend his campaign. Merrill’s statement made it clear that he felt the GOP field was so large that current U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) was benefitting from the battle.
  • Merrill also cited former Attorney General Jeff Session as part of the reason for his decision, stating, “With the announcement by Sen. Jeff Sessions on November 7, the dynamics of this election have changed dramatically.”

2. Four counties account for a large portion of the state’s growth

  • Baldwin, Madison, Lee and Shelby are keeping the state of Alabama from shrinking over the last decade with massive population growth in areas that are booming, while 43 of the 67 counties are losing population.
  • Interestingly, according to U.S. Census Bureau, Alabama is gaining more population growth from international migration than other states in the country, which can be tied to all of the international business recruitment the state has sought.

1. White House won’t participate in House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearings

  • In news that should surprise no one, the White House has announced that they have no interest in participating in the U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NJ)-led hearings, citing the unfairness of the situation.
  • In a statement, White House counsel Pat Cipollone said, “[W]e cannot fairly be expected to participate in a hearing while the witnesses are yet to be named and while it remains unclear whether the Judiciary Committee will afford the President a fair process through additional hearings.”