FBI co-deputy director Andrew Bailey announced Monday that he is leaving the bureau after just over a year, adding another senior departure to President Donald Trump’s administration.
Bailey, a former Missouri attorney general, said he is stepping down to return to his family in Missouri. He thanked Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel for the opportunity to serve. His resignation takes effect October 2, according to CBS News.
“With great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri,” Bailey wrote on X. He expressed confidence that Patel would continue efforts to reform the FBI, fight violent crime and restore public trust. Patel praised Bailey’s work, saying the departing official helped return the bureau to its core mission.
Another Change at the FBI
Bailey joined the bureau in 2025 under an unusual arrangement that divided the deputy director role. He initially shared the title with Dan Bongino, the former Secret Service agent and conservative broadcaster who left the FBI in January. Career FBI official Christopher Raia later became the other co-deputy director. It remains unclear whether Raia will serve alone in the role after Bailey’s departure.
Bailey’s work included election-related investigations. He appeared with then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard when federal agents seized records from a Fulton County, Georgia, election facility in January, ABC News reported.
CBS News reported that Bailey had a strained working relationship with Patel, citing people familiar with the bureau’s internal dynamics. Bailey’s public statement gave family as his reason for leaving and voiced support for Patel. The reported tensions have not been established as the cause of his resignation.
Other Senior Trump Officials Have Left
The announcement follows several prominent departures elsewhere in the administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt completed her final day in August and moved to an outside advisory role. Trump also announced that White House counsel David Warrington would leave for the private sector, with Will Scharf succeeding him September 1.
James Braid, the White House’s director of legislative affairs and a key liaison to Congress, was another recent exit. Trump announced in August that Braid would leave in September.
The officials held different jobs and gave different reasons for leaving. Bailey’s departure is especially notable at the FBI because it follows Bongino’s exit and leaves the bureau’s shared deputy director structure in limbo.
