FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey Resigns After One Year

Andrew Bailey, who shared the FBI's No. 2 job with another deputy, told colleagues he is leaving after roughly a year, citing his family, as reports describe strained ties with Director Kash Patel.

Illustrative image. Andrew Bailey's resignation as FBI co-deputy director takes effect Oct. 2.

Andrew Bailey, co-deputy director of the FBI, is resigning after a little more than a year in the job, according to multiple reports published Monday. Bailey told colleagues he was leaving to spend more time with his family, and the resignation takes effect Oct. 2, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously to Bloomberg about an internal personnel decision.

Bailey later posted a statement on social media saying he was stepping down to return to his family in Missouri. He thanked President Donald Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche and Patel for the chance to serve, and said he was confident Patel would "continue to reform the FBI." Patel responded publicly with thanks, calling Bailey's contributions to the bureau's work important and saying his leadership "will be missed."

A shared deputy role that changed hands

For decades, the FBI has had one deputy director, typically a career official who runs day-to-day operations and reports to the director. In August 2025, the Trump administration changed that by announcing that Bailey, then Missouri's Republican attorney general, would serve as co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino, a conservative podcaster who had worked as a Secret Service agent but had no prior FBI experience.

Bongino stepped down in January. Christopher Raia, a former head of the FBI's New York field office, took his place and has shared the role with Bailey since. Bailey's exit means the bureau has now lost a second person from that unusual two-deputy arrangement.

Reports of friction inside the bureau

The internal FBI email announcing the move pointed to family reasons, according to The New York Times. But people familiar with the bureau's inner workings told the paper that the relationship between Patel and Bailey had been rocky in recent months. Several of those people said the two often went long stretches without speaking. The sources were not named, and neither the FBI nor Patel had commented on those accounts. An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to Bloomberg's request for comment.

The Times also reported that Patel had sidelined Bailey and that Bailey left little visible mark on the bureau. One notable exception was his appearance when the FBI executed a warrant to obtain 2020 ballots from Fulton County, Georgia, an inquiry the Times described as part of an effort to advance Trump's unsupported claims of a rigged election. Another outlet, The Gateway Pundit, reported that Bailey had been overseeing election matters at the bureau.

The Times further reported that many agents believed then-Attorney General Pam Bondi had brought Bailey in as a possible replacement if Trump grew tired of Patel. Trump fired Bondi in April, and Patel remained in his post. Bloomberg similarly reported that the White House had reportedly floated Bailey as a possible successor to Patel. Neither report includes any on-the-record confirmation.

Timing amid other FBI shake-ups

Bailey's resignation comes three days after the FBI reassigned two senior counterterrorism supervisors over their handling of an investigation into allegedly harassing phone calls made to Katie Miller, the wife of White House aide Stephen Miller, according to Bloomberg. The outlet also noted that numerous agents and veteran officials have been fired or pushed out after working on cases that displeased the White House.

Patel has also faced continued criticism from Democrats, who say he has steered the FBI's priorities to match the president's personal wishes, Bloomberg reported. The Times noted that Bondi, before her firing, had complained about Patel's management of the bureau, including his habit of posting premature or inaccurate information about ongoing operations.

What is still unclear

Bailey and Patel have both described the departure as a family-driven decision, while anonymous sources describe a strained working relationship. The available reports do not settle which factors played a role. It also has not been announced whether the FBI will keep the two-deputy structure or name a replacement for Bailey. His resignation is set to take effect Oct. 2.