Stepping Down To Return To My Family: FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey Quits

Andrew Bailey, one of the FBI’s two deputy directors, has announced his resignation after just over a year in the post, saying he will return to Missouri to spend more time with his family. His departure will take effect on October 2, according to multiple reports.

Bailey announced his decision Monday in a post on X, thanking President Donald Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash 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,” he wrote.

Bailey said he was confident Patel would continue to reform the FBI, combat violent crime, defend the homeland, strengthen organisational accountability and restore public trust in the agency. Patel separately thanked Bailey for his “dedicated service” and credited him with “instituting critical reforms.”

Bailey was appointed co-deputy director in August 2025, serving alongside Dan Bongino during a period of tensions between FBI and Justice Department leadership over the handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Having two deputy directors was unusual because the FBI had traditionally maintained a single No. 2 official, generally a career bureau agent.

Bailey, a former Republican Missouri attorney general and strong Trump supporter, had not previously worked for the FBI. Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and podcaster who also lacked FBI experience, later left the post. In January, the bureau added veteran FBI official Christopher Raia as another deputy director under Patel.

Bailey largely maintained a low public profile during his tenure, but he was present in January when FBI agents executed a search warrant at the main election facility in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of an election-related investigation. Reports have also cited tensions within the FBI leadership, including between Bailey and Patel, but Bailey publicly gave family reasons for his departure.

His resignation comes amid continued changes in the FBI’s senior leadership. Bailey’s departure will leave Christopher Raia as the remaining deputy director alongside Patel, unless the bureau announces another appointment.