Former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is leaving his post as co-deputy director of the FBI.
Bailey announced Monday on the social media platform X that he was departing his federal post. He said in a statement that "with great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri."
"I am confident Director [Kash Patel] will continue to reform the FBI, combat violent crime, defend the homeland, ensure strong organizational accountability, and restore public trust in this institution of excellence," Bailey said.
Bailey's statement didn't say if he was resigning immediately or had a departure date. A spokesperson for the FBI referred St. Louis Public Radio to Bailey's X statement when asking for clarity on that point.
Bailey was often seen as a potential successor to Patel, who has been subject to rumors that either his firing or resignation was imminent. The Wall Street Journal reported that hundreds of FBI agents have left the agency in recent months.
Bailey generally kept a low profile in the FBI, though he was present when the agency searched the main election office in Fulton County, Georgia, for records regarding the 2020 election. He was also in St. Louis earlier this year to discuss crime-fighting efforts throughout the metropolitan area.
Bailey surprised many Missouri political observers in 2025 when he resigned from his state post to take on the FBI job. He had just been elected to a full term as attorney general after being appointed to that role by then-Gov. Mike Parson. And several attorneys general have gone on to become either a U.S. senator or governor.
While it's possible Bailey could get back into the electoral fray, all of Missouri's GOP statewide officials are, as of now, planning to run for second terms in 2028. So either Bailey would have to run in a primary against a sitting officeholder or wait for an incumbent to announce he isn't running for another term.
Bailey served as attorney general from the beginning of 2023 through the middle of 2025. Before he took on that statewide post, Bailey was Parson's general counsel.
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