Andrew Bailey, an FBI deputy director, says he’s leaving the post after just over a year in the job

WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrew Bailey, one of the FBI’s two deputy directors, announced Monday that he was leaving the position after just over a year on the job and would be returning to Missouri to spend time with his family.

Bailey was named co-deputy director in August 2025 to serve alongside Dan Bongino at a time of high tensions between FBI and Justice Department leadership over the handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The appointment was unusual because the FBI for years has had only one person at a time serve as deputy director and because the position, the No. 2 job at the bureau, is typically held by a career agent.

An ardent backer of President Donald Trump, Bailey was serving as the Republican attorney general of Missouri when he was picked to be deputy director with Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and popular podcaster who also had not previously worked for the FBI. Bailey remained in his position after Bongino announced his departure and as the FBI in January added another deputy director, veteran agent Christopher Raia, to serve under Director Kash Patel.

Bailey announced his resignation from the FBI in a post on X on Monday in which he thanked Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche and Patel for “the opportunity to serve.”

“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.

His last day will be Friday, an FBI spokesman said.

Patel in his own post credited him for “dedicated service” and for “instituting critical reforms.”

Bailey maintained a low public profile during his brief tenure as deputy director, though he was present in January when agents executed a search warrant at the main election facility in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of an election fraud investigation.

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