Burris' chief of staff quits

WASHINGTON -- Embattled Sen. Roland Burris took another blow on Friday -- his chief of staff, Darrell Thompson, quit.

Thompson was detailed to the Burris operation from the staff of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to give Burris top-notch, experienced help to get his office up and running. Thompson was a top staffer in President Obama's 2004 Illinois Senate campaign.

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Sen. Roland Burris was called on to resign Friday by Gov. Pat Quinn, and his interim chief of staff quit.
(AP)

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As Burris resists calls for him to step down, Thompson pulled the plug on his short tenure.

"Three weeks ago I was temporarily detailed to serve as chief of staff to Sen. Roland W. Burris. Though my tenure was relatively brief, I enjoyed and valued my time with Sen. Burris, his entire staff and his other advisors," Thompson said in a statement.

"As of today, my role as interim chief of staff to Sen. Burris will end. I will resume, in full, my duties as senior advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid."