Sen. Roland Burris' interim chief of staff, Darrel Thompson, jumped ship this afternoon:

Three weeks ago I was temporarily detailed to serve as Chief of Staff to Senator Roland W. Burris. Though my tenure was relatively brief, I enjoyed and valued my time with Senator Burris, his entire staff and his other advisors.

As of today, my role as Interim Chief of Staff to Senator Burris will end. I will resume, in full, my duties as Senior Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias added his name to the list of those calling for Burris to resign:

“Senator Burris’ statements have been misleading at best and make clear he was not upfront or forthright during his testimony before the Illinois House Impeachment Committee.  He violated the public’s trust, which sorely needed restoring following the governor’s impeachment,” Giannoulias said in a statement.

And Rep. Jan Schakowsly responded to the proposal laid out by Gov. Quinn earlier today:

While I agree with Governor Quinn and others that Senator Burris should resign, his resignation is not essential for him to be replaced.  Under the 17th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, governors only have the right to "make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct."  The state legislature can set a special election at its own discretion whether or not Burris resigns.