John Harris, chief of staff for Governor Rod Blagojevich and arrested with him on Tuesday, resigned from his position today.  He dropped off the resignation and won’t return to the capital:

John Harris resigned this morning as Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s chief of staff, his lawyer said.

Harris dropped off his letter of resignation today in person and will not be going back to the office, according to his lawyer, Terry Ekl.

How significant is this?  It may signal that Harris wants to cut a deal, which he can’t do while serving Blagojevich.  Any deal Harris would cut would require him to plead guilty on some charges, and he’d necessarily need to give up his position (and Blagojevich’s successor would have his own CoS anyway).  Also, the fact that he’s already resigning may indicate that the deal has already been made, as that would be a bargaining chip for any deal negotiations.

It also puts pressure on Blagojevich to step aside.  What will he do for a chief of staff now?  People will hardly be lining up around the block to fill that role.  I suspect that everyone in the governor’s office is busy updating their resumes this week, anyway.  Harris’ departure will likely touch off an exodus in the next few days.

More shoes look ready to drop.  Stay tuned.