In a bold move that’s rattling the halls of justice, the White House has thrust Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey into the role of co-deputy director at the FBI, sharing the spotlight with Dan Bongino under Director Kash Patel.
According to Daily Mail, the shake-up comes hot on the heels of internal FBI strife over the Jeffrey Epstein files, compounded by reported tensions between Attorney General Pam Bondi and agency leadership, alongside a wave of departures that’s left the bureau scrambling.
Let’s rewind a bit: the Epstein saga has been a thorn in the FBI’s side, with Deputy Director Bongino nearly walking away after a memo on the files sparked outrage among MAGA supporters who sensed a lack of candor.
Bongino, a vocal advocate for digging into Epstein’s rumored client list, even skipped work after Bondi and President Trump dismissed such a list’s existence, stirring unrest among conservatives hungry for answers.
Though he threatened to resign, Bongino returned the next week, albeit under a cloud of doubt about his future, and even showed up late one Monday, keeping officials on edge.
White House insiders whispered that Trump was none too pleased with Bongino’s public pushback, raising eyebrows about whether the president still trusts his hand-picked deputy to steer the ship.
Enter Andrew Bailey, whose appointment as co-deputy has some wondering if Bongino’s role is being quietly scaled back, though Bongino insists, per insiders, that there’s “still work to be done.”
Bailey, hailed as a decorated war veteran, brings a resume packed with action—launching an anti-human trafficking task force in Missouri and clearing a backlog of sexual assault evidence kits to boost prosecutions.
His tenure as Missouri’s top prosecutor saw a staggering 133% surge in criminal trials, a stat that likely caught the White House’s eye as they seek to fortify the FBI’s mission.
Bailey didn’t hold back on his enthusiasm, declaring, “I am proud to announce I have accepted the role of Co-Deputy Director of the FBI.”
He added, “I extend my thanks to [Trump] and [Attorney General Pam Bondi] for the opportunity to serve in the mission to Make America Safe Again.” Well, that’s a rallying cry if there ever was one, though skeptics might ask if this mission can truly unify a fractured agency.
Attorney General Bondi chimed in, saying, “I am thrilled to welcome Andrew Bailey as Co-Deputy Director of the FBI.” Her praise for his “expertise and dedication” sounds promising, but let’s hope this isn’t just window dressing for deeper woes.
Under Director Kash Patel, the FBI isn’t just reshuffling deck chairs— they’ve notched 19,000 arrests nationwide since he took the helm, doubling the total from the prior year, with heavy hitters like human traffickers and violent offenders in the mix.
An administration official underscored the broader goal, noting, “Trump wants to see bad guys prosecuted, corrupt politicians held accountable.” That’s a tall order, but with 270 traffickers and 1,600 child crime arrests under Patel’s watch, the numbers suggest they’re not just blowing smoke.
