Andrew Bailey, the former Missouri attorney general who took on a co-deputy director role at the FBI in August 2025, announced Monday he is stepping down and returning home to Missouri.
Bailey served alongside Dan Bongino in the unusual co-deputy director arrangement created under FBI Director Kash Patel. He had led Missouri’s attorney general office since 2023 before joining the bureau.
In a social media post announcing his departure, Bailey wrote:
“I want to thank President Trump, @AGToddBlanche, and @FBIDirectorKash for the opportunity to serve in the FBI. Under President Trump’s leadership, we have delivered historic results in our mission to Make America Safe Again.”
He continued:
“With great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri.”
Bailey also offered praise for Patel’s leadership of the bureau, saying he expects the reform effort to continue without him.
“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.”
An internal FBI email indicated Bailey was leaving for family reasons, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the New York Times on condition of anonymity because the decision was not yet public.
Patel later confirmed the family-related reason for Bailey’s exit in a statement posted to the FBI’s official X account:
“I want to thank Andrew Bailey for his dedicated service to return the FBI to its core mission and fulfill President Trump’s promise to make America safe again. Although Andrew is leaving the FBI in order to return to his family in Missouri, his fantastic contribution instituting critical reforms which resulted in our historic success will live on. Andrew’s leadership at the FBI will be missed but we are grateful he answered the call to serve! Thanks Andrew for your tremendous dedication to the mission of this FBI.”
Bailey held the co-deputy director post for a little over a year before his departure.
