On August 19, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump made a move that has sent shockwaves through the nation’s law enforcement and political circles: the appointment of Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey as co-deputy director of the FBI. Bailey, a staunch Trump loyalist and vocal Second Amendment advocate, will share the bureau’s number two position with Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and conservative media personality. The decision, first reported by Fox News and quickly confirmed by multiple outlets, comes at a time of mounting internal tension within the FBI, particularly over the handling of the highly sensitive Jeffrey Epstein case files.
Bailey’s appointment was orchestrated by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. This dual leadership structure is a sharp break from FBI tradition, which typically sees a single, highly experienced veteran in the deputy director role. According to Axios, the move is widely interpreted as a strategic effort to quell unrest within the bureau and to signal a possible transition in leadership should Bongino step down. Bongino had reportedly threatened to resign, citing “untenable working conditions” related to disputes over the Epstein files, as noted by Politico.
Bailey, who has served as Missouri’s attorney general since January 2023, recently secured a full four-year term in November 2024 after defeating former White House staff secretary Will Scharf. His tenure in Missouri has been marked by hard-line conservative stances, including efforts to restrict abortion access, opposition to gender-affirming care, and a reputation for attempting to prevent the release of prisoners whose convictions were overturned. Bailey’s prosecutorial background and alignment with Trump’s priorities—especially on crime and immigration—have made him a favorite among the MAGA base, who have grown increasingly critical of the FBI’s recent direction.
Bailey’s appointment is not without its critics, especially given his lack of direct FBI experience. Yet his supporters, including powerful advocacy groups like Gun Owners of America (GOA), see his arrival as a much-needed correction. GOA, a grassroots lobbying organization boasting over two million members, released a statement hailing Bailey as a “staunch supporter of the Second Amendment” and a “proven ally” in the fight against what they call government overreach. “Attorney General Andrew Bailey has consistently stood with GOA and GOF in challenging government infringements on the Second Amendment. We are excited to see a proven ally who shares our No Compromise mission take on an active role in President Trump’s second term,” said Tim Macy, GOA’s chairman.
Bailey’s relationship with GOA is long-standing. He was a featured speaker at the group’s inaugural GOALS conference in Knoxville last August. More recently, Bailey, GOA, and the State of Missouri jointly filed a lawsuit challenging a Jackson County, Missouri ordinance that criminalizes handgun purchases by adults under 21 and bans those aged 18-20 from possessing certain semiautomatic rifles. For groups like GOA, Bailey’s elevation to FBI leadership is seen as instrumental in ensuring the agency “is not weaponized against peaceful American citizens,” as stated by Erich Pratt, GOA’s senior vice president. Pratt went further, criticizing the previous administration: “The Biden-era FBI made it clear it was no friend to Americans—especially gun owners—as anti-gunners weaponized the agency to undermine our constitutional rights. We’re confident AG Bailey will help put a stop to this abuse and bring the leadership the FBI desperately needs.”
Bailey himself expressed gratitude for the appointment, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “I extend my thanks to President Donald Trump and AG Bondi for the opportunity to serve in the mission to Make America Safe Again. I will protect America and uphold the Constitution.” Bongino, for his part, welcomed Bailey with a brief message on social media: “Welcome,” accompanied by three Stars and Stripes emojis.
The context for this shake-up is the ongoing controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. In early July, the FBI and Department of Justice released a statement declaring that Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, left behind no “client list” and died by suicide in a New York City jail cell in August 2019. This announcement ignited a firestorm among Trump’s MAGA supporters, many of whom had long harbored suspicions of foul play in Epstein’s death and had hoped for more transparency regarding the identities of his alleged accomplices and clients. The president himself faced pressure to release all federal files related to Epstein and to clarify his own past association with the financier. According to The Daily Beast, FBI Director Patel explained the decision to appoint Bailey by saying, “The FBI will always bring the greatest talent this country has to offer in order to accomplish the goals set forth when an overwhelming majority of American people elected President Donald J Trump again. Andrew Bailey will be an integral part of this important mission, and I look forward to the continued fight to save America together.”
The controversy over the Epstein case has also exposed rifts within the FBI’s upper echelons. Bongino and Patel, both of whom had previously stoked conspiracy theories on conservative media, faced backlash from right-wing commentators after appearing to accept the official narrative of Epstein’s suicide during a Fox News interview in May. Bongino later posted a cryptic message on X: “During my tenure here as the Deputy Director of the FBI, I have repeatedly relayed to you that things are happening that might not be immediately visible, but they are happening... What I have learned in the course of our properly predicated and necessary investigations into these aforementioned matters, has shocked me down to my core. We cannot run a Republic like this. I’ll never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.” He added, “We are going to conduct these righteous and proper investigations by the book and by the law. We are going to get the answers WE ALL DESERVE.”
The dual appointment of Bailey and Bongino is widely seen as a response to these internal strains and the broader political climate. Agents have reportedly been reassigned to enforce Trump-era directives on immigration and crime control, further fueling friction within the bureau. Bailey is set to officially step down as Missouri attorney general and assume his new role on September 8, 2025, a transition that will be closely watched by both supporters and skeptics.
As the FBI faces scrutiny over its management of high-profile investigations and its perceived politicization, the arrival of Andrew Bailey signals a new chapter—one marked by fierce debate over the agency’s future direction. Whether this experiment with co-deputy leadership will bring stability or deepen existing divides remains to be seen, but for now, all eyes are on the bureau as it navigates the turbulent waters of American law enforcement and politics.
