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Andrew Bailey Named FBI Co-Deputy Director as Trump Team Formalizes Two-Deputy Structure

The appointment breaks with the FBI’s tradition of a single career deputy drawn from within the bureau.

FILE - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey stands in the governor's office after being sworn in, Jan. 13, 2025, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey leaves the U.S. Supreme Court after justices heard arguments in an appeal by President Joe Biden's administration of restrictions imposed by lower courts on its ability to encourage social media companies to remove content deemed misinformation, in Washington, U.S., March 18, 2024. REUTERS/Bonnie Cash/File Photo

Overview

  • Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel announced that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will serve alongside Deputy Director Dan Bongino, in a move first reported by Fox News Digital.
  • Bailey will resign as Missouri attorney general effective September 8 to take the role, which does not require Senate confirmation.
  • This appears to be the first time the FBI has installed two deputy directors, and officials have not detailed how Bailey and Bongino will split day-to-day responsibilities.
  • The decision follows a July rift over the handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related files, after which Bongino briefly stepped back from work; he publicly welcomed Bailey’s selection.
  • Bondi and Patel praised Bailey’s record, while reporting notes concern among career agents and continuing uncertainty about Bongino’s long‑term status in the role.