Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images FBI Director Kash Patel lost one of his top deputies on Monday after Andrew Bailey announced he was leaving the bureau after barely a year in the job. Bailey, a former Missouri attorney general who joined the FBI last year as co-deputy director, is stepping down for family reasons, according to an internal bureau email seen by The New York Times. His exit marks another shake-up at the top of the FBI under President Donald Trump and comes after months in which sources told the newspaper that Bailey and Patel reportedly struggled to work together. The Times reported that multiple people familiar with their interactions claimed that Patel and Bailey did not get along and would sometimes go extended periods without speaking. The departing co-deputy joined the FBI in 2025 under an unusual leadership structure devised during then-Attorney General Pam Bondi’s tenure. The bureau had traditionally operated with a single deputy director, typically a career FBI official responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations. Trump initially installed former Secret Service agent and podcaster Dan Bongino as Patel’s deputy, despite Bongino having no previous FBI experience. Bailey was later brought in as an additional deputy director. Christopher Raia, a longtime FBI agent, subsequently joined the leadership team. Bailey’s appointment fueled speculation among some FBI personnel that Bondi had positioned the former Missouri attorney general as a potential successor should Trump sour on Patel, according to The Times. Instead, Bondi was fired in April and Patel remained in place. Bailey was reportedly sidelined in the months that followed and maintained a relatively low profile. One notable exception came when he appeared during the FBI’s execution of a warrant seeking 2020 election ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, as federal authorities continued examining claims surrounding an election Trump has repeatedly alleged was rigged. In a post to X, Kash Patel confirmed the news. “I want to thank Andrew Bailey for his dedicated service to return the FBI to its core mission and fulfill President Trump’s promise to make America safe again,” Patelo wrote. “Although Andrew is leaving the FBI in order to return to his family in Missouri, his fantastic contribution instituting critical reforms which resulted in our historic success will live on.” I want to thank Andrew Bailey for his dedicated service to return the FBI to its core mission and fulfill President Trump's promise… [TheTopNews] Read More.
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