* No surprise. Former Rod Blagojevich chief of staff John Harris has pled guilty to a single count. Read the plea by clicking here.

This is what he pled to…

Count Four charges defendant with participating in a scheme to commit wire fraud, including through the deprivation of honest services, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 1346. […]

It was part of the scheme that beginning in or about October 2008, and continuing until on or about December 9, 2008, Rod Blagojevich (“Blagojevich”), with the assistance of Defendant and others, sought to obtain financial benefits for Blagojevich and his wife, in return for the exercise of his duty under Illinois law to appoint a United States Senator to fill the vacancy created by the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

At times Defendant assisted Blagojevich’s efforts to carry out the scheme by suggesting means by which Blagojevich could secure personal benefits for himself in exchange for appointing a United States Senator, conducting factual research relating to the scheme at Blagojevich’s direction, and counseling Blagojevich on carrying out the scheme.

At other times, Defendant expressed opposition to Blagojevich’s efforts to enrich himself through his appointment of a United States Senator, and/or did not follow instructions from Blagojevich to assist in those efforts.

More…

Defendant understood that Blagojevich’s personal financial circumstances and security were a significant consideration for Blagojevich in his analysis of whom he should name to the Senate seat.

There’s not much new on the alleged third party offer to raise $1.5 million for Blagojevich’s campaign funds to secure the appointment of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. to Obama’s vacant US Senate seat…

Although Blagojevich was previously not willing to consider Senate Candidate A, Defendant believed that Blagojevich was now seriously considering Senate Candidate A because of the offer of campaign funds.

* The G believes Harris when he says he never relayed a specific threat to the Tribune…

Further, in November and December 2008, in response to Chicago Tribune editorials that had been critical of Blagojevich, Blagojevich directed Defendant to tell Tribune Financial Advisor that Blagojevich was going to withhold state financial support that would benefit the Tribune Company, unless the Tribune Owner fired people on the editorial board.

In order to appease Blagojevich, Defendant told Blagojevich that he would and did relay this threat to Tribune Financial Advisor. Although Defendant did have a conversation with Tribune Financial Advisor about the negative editorials regarding Blagojevich, Defendant did not relay the threats as directed by Blagojevich.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Natasha Korecki at the Sun-Times quotes Harris’ attorney as saying his client will have a “significant impact” in the feds’ case against Blagojevich…

“Working for Gov. Blagojevich for the most honest people, was an extraordinarily difficult thing to do,” Ekl said after his client pleaded guilty to one wire fraud count today. “I think John Harris ties a lot of incidents together. He will come across before a jury as absolutely 100 percent honest, because he is. I think his testimony will have a significant impact in the government’s case against the former governor.”

*** UPDATE 2 *** From the Harris plea, this person seems fairly familiar…

…Blagojevich also pressed Defendant to have an “off campus” discussion with Senate Candidate D. Defendant knew that this was a reference to Blagojevich’s prior directive to Defendant to ask Senate Candidate D for Senate Candidate D’s remaining campaign funds in exchange for appointing Senate Candidate D to the U.S. Senate Seat.

Sometime in the summer of 2008, Blagojevich told Defendant that if he appointed Senate Candidate D to the vacant Senate seat, he would want and expect Senate Candidate D to give Blagojevich some or all of Senate Candidate D’s campaign funds. Blagojevich raised this topic, which was often referred to as “the off-campus discussion” with Senate Candidate D, in several phone calls with Defendant. Defendant believed that Blagojevich was again raising this issue because Blagojevich believed that a deal with representatives of President-elect Obama involving Senate Candidate B was no longer a possibility.

In response to Blagojevich’s directives to him, on November 12, 2008, Defendant met with Senate Candidate D in his Springfield office. During the meeting, Defendant had a discussion with Senate Candidate D about his plans for his campaign funds that could not be converted to personal use. Defendant did not directly tell Senate Candidate D that Blagojevich was going to ask Senate Candidate D for his campaign funds.

Based on what Defendant did say, however, Defendant believed that Senate Candidate D was on notice that, in relation to the Senate seat, Blagojevich was going to talk with Senate Candidate D about Senate Candidate D’s campaign funds.

Hat tip to a commenter. Senate Candidate D has not yet been positively identified, so let’s keep the speculation to a minimum, please.