FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey to Leave Post

Andrew Bailey announced Monday that he is leaving his post as an FBI co-deputy director and returning to Missouri to be with his family. His reported final day at the bureau is Friday, October 2, 2026, after a little more than a year in the job. Bailey, a former Missouri attorney general, said in a public announcement that he was stepping down to return to his family. He also expressed confidence in FBI Director Kash Patel and said Patel would continue efforts to reform the bureau. Bailey thanked Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche and President Donald Trump for the opportunity to serve. The FBI’s unusual leadership arrangement included two deputy directors. Bailey joined the bureau in August 2025, serving alongside Dan Bongino, who later left the role, according to one report. Bailey’s departure will leave a vacancy in the bureau’s senior leadership; the reports did not identify a successor or say how the position would be filled. The stated reason for Bailey’s departure is his own family announcement.