"It's tough to scream 'witch hunt' when your client is riding a broom," one Statehouse reporter cracked recently after Ed Genson, the defense attorney for Governor Rod Blagojevich, claimed the atmosphere following Blagojevich's arrest was "a real witch hunt."

Genson's protestations have mostly fallen on deaf ears, particularly with the Illinois House's impeachment committee. The committee has shot down his objections time and time again in a clear attempt to make sure Genson knows he is not in a courtroom and has few, if any, legal legs to stand on.

From the very beginning, Governor Rod Blagojevich sought to centralize the operation of state government as much as possible in his office. A cadre of deputy governors has overseen daily agency operations with an iron fist and reported directly to Blagojevich's chief of staff or to the governor himself.

But Blagojevich is now under siege and spending much of his days meeting with attorneys about his criminal case. His chief of staff has resigned, as did one of his deputy governors. Another deputy governor was hired only recently.

I spent a few hours re-reading the federal criminal complaint against Governor Rod Blagojevich and former Chief of Staff John Harris late last week. As I did, one image kept coming to mind over and over again: Howard Hughes.

(Editor's note: What follows are excerpts from the 76-page federal criminal complaint against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris. Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday. The full document is available here.)

The Basics

a. Defendant Rod Blagojevich and at times defendant John Harris, together with others, obtained and attempted to obtain financial benefits for Rod Blagojevich, members of the Blagojevich family, and third parties including Friends of Blagojevich, in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state employment, state contracts, and access to state funds;