Missouri AG Andrew Bailey to become FBI co-deputy director, joining Bongino

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey volition service arsenic the FBI's co-deputy director, alongside the instrumentality enforcement agency's existent second-in-command, Dan Bongino.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed the quality connected X, saying Bailey "took connected the swamp, fought weaponized government, and defended the Constitution" arsenic Missouri's apical instrumentality enforcement official. Bailey volition resign from his existent occupation connected Sept. 8, helium said successful a statement.

"My beingness has been defined by a telephone to service, and I americium erstwhile again answering that call, this clip astatine the nationalist level," Bailey wrote.

Bongino welcomed Bailey to the bureau successful an X post.

"Let's get aft it," FBI Director Kash Patel wrote successful effect to Bongino.

FOX News Digital was archetypal to study Bailey's appointment.

In the past, the FBI lawman manager has typically been a vocation staffer astatine the bureau. Neither of the Trump administration's lawman leaders had a past with the FBI anterior to their appointments: Bailey served successful the Army and worked arsenic a authorities authoritative successful Missouri for overmuch of his career, and Bongino was a Secret Service cause earlier moving arsenic a media personality.

Bailey has served arsenic Missouri's lawyer wide since 2023. He's known for asking the Supreme Court to intervene connected Missouri's behalf successful a transgression lawsuit against President Trump brought by New York prosecutors — a longshot petition that was rejected by the precocious court. He's besides defended his state's restrictions connected abortion and gender-affirming attraction for minors, and sued Starbucks implicit its diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

A Trump loyalist, Bongino clashed with immoderate different medication officials past period amid contention implicit the FBI and Justice Department's handling of a reappraisal of the Jeffrey Epstein case. The lawman FBI manager didn't amusement up to enactment astatine the section astatine 1 point, and weighed resigning from his role, sources told CBS News astatine the time.

A root acquainted with the substance said astatine the clip that Mr. Trump hadn't mislaid assurance successful Bongino, but determination was immoderate vexation astatine the White House astir the lawman director.

"Any effort to sow part wrong this squad is baseless and distracts from the existent advancement being made successful restoring nationalist information and pursuing justness for all," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said past month.

Gabrielle Ake, Scott MacFarlane and Jacob Rosen contributed to this report.