FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey Resigns After Missing Patel Promotion
Andrew Bailey, co-deputy director of the FBI, said Monday he is resigning after roughly a year under Director Kash Patel. Bailey, a former Missouri attorney general and Trump ally, said he is returning to his family in Missouri.
- 2 people familiar with the matter said his resignation takes effect Oct. 2.
- Bailey was the second person to leave the co-deputy role in under a year.
- He had been overseeing election-related investigations, including an FBI warrant seeking 2020 ballots in Fulton County, Georgia.
- Dan Bongino held the deputy role before Bailey; Christopher Raia now remains as sole deputy.
Why it matters: The FBI has operated for decades with a single career deputy director. The Trump administration broke from that tradition, creating a co-deputy structure that produced repeated leadership turnover.
- Bailey's departure comes days after two senior counterterrorism supervisors were reassigned over their handling of an investigation into allegedly harassing calls to Katie Miller, wife of senior White House aide Stephen Miller.
How 27 sources split on this story
Where they split: Coverage splits on why Bailey is leaving: his statement and one source cite family reasons, while multiple anonymous sources and some reporting point to friction with Patel and frustration over not being named director.
Center coverage, 6 sources: The center focuses on the structural oddity of the co-deputy arrangement and reports the competing explanations — family reasons versus internal friction — without resolving them.
Reuters3hFBI deputy chief Bailey to resign
Associated Press49mAndrew Bailey, an FBI deputy director, says he's leaving the post after just over a year in the job
Axios1hKash Patel's FBI loses another top officialNOTNOTUS2hKash Patel’s Top Deputy Abruptly Steps Down - The Washington Sun
The Hill1hFBI deputy director announces he’s leaving postTNDThe National Desk2hFBI co-deputy director Andrew Bailey steps down after a year on the jobLeft coverage, 10 sources: The left frames Bailey's exit as evidence of dysfunction at the top of the FBI, emphasizing anonymous accounts of a broken relationship with Patel and linking the departure to what sources describe as Bailey's frustration at being passed over for director.
Raw Story3hFBI's deputy director abruptly quits — sources say furious he didn't get Kash Patel's jobTBGThe Boston Globe2hAndrew Bailey, deputy director at FBI, reportedly leaves job
CBS News41mTop FBI official Andrew Bailey, who was once widely seen as Patel successor, resigns
Mediaite2hKash Patel’s Top Deputy Quits FBI After Barely a Year on the Job
MSNBC1hFBI’s co-deputy director resigns after agents assigned to case on Stephen Miller’s wife demoted
NBC News2hAndrew Bailey, who joined FBI in unusual ‘co-deputy’ position, to leave bureau
Politico2hAndrew Bailey, co-deputy director of the FBI, is departing his jobTNRThe New Republic2hFBI Deputy Chief Overseeing Election “Investigations” Suddenly Quits
The New York Times3hAndrew Bailey, a Deputy Director at the F.B.I., Leaves His Job
The Washington Post2hAndrew Bailey, No. 2 at FBI, resigns in latest shake-up at bureauRight coverage, 11 sources: The right leads with Bailey's own statement, emphasizes his praise of Patel's reform agenda, and explicitly disputes the narrative that he left over frustration with personnel decisions.
Washington Examiner2hAndrew Bailey resigns as FBI co-deputy director under Patel
BizPac Review2hKash Patel’s right-hand man leaves FBI
Citizen Free Press2hFBI co-director just resigned.
Daily Mail3hKash Patel's FBI right-hand aide suddenly QUITS after 'tumultuous' year
Just the News18hFBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey resigns from agency
New York Post1hFBI deputy director who oversaw 2020 election integrity probe resigns from bureau
RedState6hFBI Deputy Director Steps Down From Unique Role While Praising Kash Patel's 'Reform'
The Daily Caller2hKash Patel’s Right-Hand Man Leaves FBI
The Epoch Times18hFBI Co-Deputy Director to Step Down
The Gateway Pundit2hJUST IN: FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey Abruptly Resigns * The Gateway Pundit * by Cristina Laila
WND35mKash Patel’s right-hand man quitting FBI * WorldNetDaily * by Ireland Owens, Daily Caller News FoundationWhat’s next: Raia, a longtime FBI agent who previously led the New York field office, remains as deputy director.
- No successor to Bailey has been named publicly.
- Whether the friction between Bailey and Patel — reported by multiple anonymous sources — played a role in the timing of his exit.
- Whether the Trump administration will revert to a single deputy director or appoint another co-deputy.
- How the reassignment of the two counterterrorism supervisors, which preceded Bailey's announcement by three days, relates to his decision.