Andrew Bailey steps down as FBI co-deputy director after one year on the job

Andrew Bailey, co-deputy director of the FBI, announced Monday that he is leaving his position after just over a year. Mr. Bailey, a Republican ally of President Donald Trump who left his post as Missouri attorney general to join the FBI, said he was leaving to be reunited with his family. Under FBI Director Kash Patel, Bailey helped oversee election-related investigations and was present earlier this year when agents seized ballots from Georgia's 2020 election.

“I am confident that Director Patel will continue to reform the FBI, combat violent crime, defend homeland security, ensure strong organizational accountability, and restore public trust in this institution of excellence,” Bailey wrote on social media. The deputy director position, which oversees day-to-day law enforcement operations, has historically been apolitical and filled by career FBI officials. Donald Trump has appointed political allies to the position as part of his overhaul of the agency to align it with his agenda.

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A series of missteps at the origin of his arrival

Bailey initially served as co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent and conservative podcaster, who left the FBI in January. Christopher Raia, a veteran FBI official, most recently served on a three-person leadership team, alongside Bailey and Patel. Bailey joined the FBI following a series of high-profile missteps by Patel, including the botched handling of investigative files on late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, which caused political headaches for the Trump administration and internal tensions within the Justice Department.

This latest high-profile departure from the FBI comes about five weeks before the US midterm elections, which will determine the makeup of Congress. The Trump administration has mobilized federal law enforcement to investigate voting by non-U.S. citizens in the election. During his tenure at the FBI, Bailey helped manage the Trump administration's investigations into election matters. The FBI has scrutinized voting records in several states but has not produced evidence to support Trump's false claims that widespread voter fraud led to his 2020 election defeat.