Top Trump FBI appointee Andrew Bailey abruptly quits after just one year
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Andrew Bailey is stepping down as one of the FBI’s two deputy directors after a little more than a year in the role, saying Monday that he plans to return home to Missouri to spend time with his family.
His tenure began in August 2025, when he was appointed co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino during a period of high tensions between the FBI and Justice Department leadership over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Having two individuals share the deputy director position marked a significant departure from the bureau’s long-standing tradition of appointing a single person to its No. 2 job.
A former attorney general from Missouri and ardent Republican supporter of President Donald Trump, Bailey stayed in his post following Bongino’s departure.
He remained when veteran agent Christopher Raia was added as another deputy director in January to serve under Director Kash Patel.
Confirming his resignation from the FBI in a post on X on Monday, Bailey thanked Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Patel for “the opportunity to serve in the FBI.”
“With great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri. I am confident Director Patel will continue to reform the FBI, combat violent crime, defend the homeland, ensure strong organizational accountability, and restore public trust in this institution of excellence,” Bailey wrote.
In his own post, Patel praised him for his “dedicated service” and recognized his role in “instituting critical reforms.”
During his brief tenure as deputy director, Bailey largely kept a low public profile.
However, he was present in January when agents executed a search warrant at the main election facility in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of an FBI election fraud investigation.
