Missouri attorney general Andrew Bailey named FBI co-deputy director

The Trump administration named Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey as the FBI’s co-deputy director Monday, installing the Republican firebrand as the second-most powerful person at the federal law enforcement agency alongside the former conservative podcast host Dan Bongino.

The appointment is the latest unusual personnel move at the FBI as the Trump administration aims to dramatically reshape the bureau. Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department explained the rationale for the appointment.

There has traditionally been just one deputy director at the FBI, who serves under the politically appointed director. And the deputy director has long been a career position that runs the day-to-day operations and is typically a respected veteran with deep experience at the FBI. But President Donald Trump upended that norm when he selected Bongino, a former Secret Service official and popular podcaster who had never worked at the FBI before the appointment.

Bailey, a Trump loyalist who supported debunked claims that the 2020 election was stolen, also has no known experience at the FBI. He is a military veteran who as Missouri’s top prosecutor mounted high-profile legal fights aligned with Trump’s agenda. He sued Starbucks over its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, fought transgender care policies and waged legal battles against sanctuary city policies.

Bailey and Bongino will serve under FBI Director Kash Patel, another Trump loyalist who has pushed out experienced FBI leaders during his tenure.

“Thrilled to welcome Andrew Bailey as our new FBI Co-Deputy Director,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on social media Monday evening. “As Missouri’s Attorney General, he took on the swamp, fought weaponized government and defended the Constitution. Now he is bringing that fight to DOJ.”

Fox News Digital first reported on Bailey’s appointment. Both Attorney General Pam Bondi and Patel provided comments to the outlet celebrating the move.

Multiple news outlets reported that Bailey was considered for a top Justice Department or FBI position at the beginning of the administration, but the president opted not to nominate him.

The FBI deputy director position does not require Senate approval and it was unclear how Bongino and Bailey will split the responsibilities of the job.

Bailey arrives at the FBI at a time when the bureau is facing intense criticism from Trump supporters over its handling of the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Before their positions at the FBI, Patel and Bongino had spread conspiracy theories about the case, suggesting that the FBI during the Biden administration covered up key details of the investigation to protect powerful people who may have participated in sex crimes alongside Epstein.

But since taking over the FBI, the leaders have said that files related to the Epstein case did not contain a rumored “client list” and that officials would not be releasing any further investigatory files. That has fueled widespread mistrust of the FBI within Trump’s right-wing base. It has also caused a rift between top leaders at the Justice Department and FBI, with Bongino reportedly considering resigning over the handling of the case.

There is also frustration in the FBI over firings and temporary assignments that are pulling agents away from their typical jobs. Scores of agents across the country have been dispatched to carry out Trump’s aggressive deportation policies and, in the Washington region, to overnight shifts to combat crime in the nation’s capital.

Bailey said in a statement that he accepted the role and would resign as Missouri attorney general Sept. 8.

“I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Co-Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Bailey said in a statement. “I extend my deepest gratitude to President Trump and U.S. Attorney General Bondi for the privilege to join in their stated mission to Make America Safe Again.”