President Donald Trump is tapping Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to be co-deputy director of the FBI.
In a press release Monday, Bailey said he would resign on Sept. 8 to take the FBI position.
“It has been a humbling privilege to serve as the 44th Attorney General of the state of Missouri, and I am forever grateful to the people of Missouri for the opportunity to represent our state and your families, ” Bailey said in a statement. "My life has been defined by a call to service, and I am once again answering that call, this time at the national level. But wherever I am called, Missouri is and always will be home."
It’s a surprising move that gives Gov. Mike Kehoe an opportunity to fill his first statewide vacancy – and shakes up the state’s long-term politics. He’s scheduled to announce Bailey’s replacement Tuesday morning.
“Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s appointment as the Co-Deputy Director of the FBI is another testament to President Trump’s commitment to enforcing law and order as Andrew has been a fighter for our state and nation throughout his entire career,” Kehoe said on X. “Although Missourians will miss Andrew’s strong leadership in the Attorney General’s Office, we know that he will serve Americans well at the FBI. Congratulations to Andrew and his family on this appointment.”
Kehoe’s replacement will fill out more than three years of Bailey’s term. Potential selections include former U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway, a St. Louis County resident who previously served as Missouri speaker of the House.
After Trump won a second term as president, Bailey was considered for a high-ranking position in his administration. But Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to be U.S. attorney general and Kash Patel to serve as FBI director.
Now, Bailey will be joining the FBI as it faces pressure to release information related to the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi, Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino have received bipartisan criticism for effectively overpromising and underdelivering when it came to releasing Epstein-related files.
Bongino in particular faced criticism when he promised to release the video of the night when Epstein died. Not only was the footage deemed inconclusive by experts in showing whether Epstein took his own life, but national media outlets, such as Wired, reported that the footage had been edited numerous times.
In a statement included in Bailey’s press release, Bondi said she was “thrilled” to welcome Bailey to the FBI.
“He has served as a distinguished attorney general for Missouri and is a decorated war veteran, bringing expertise and dedication to service,” Bondi said. “His leadership and commitment to country will be a tremendous asset as we work together to advance President Trump’s mission. While we know this is undoubtedly a great loss for Missouri, it is a tremendous gain for America.”
Patel added in a statement that "Andrew Bailey will be an integral part of this important mission and I look forward continued fight to save America together."
End of a brief era
Bailey’s departure marks the end, at least for now, to a meteoric rise in statewide politics for the GOP official.
The Iraq War veteran joined Gov. Mike Parson’s administration shortly after the GOP chief executive took office, eventually making his way to being his general counsel. After Eric Schmitt vacated the attorney general’s office to become a U.S. senator, Parson picked Bailey to fill out the rest of his term.
Some of Bailey’s most high-profile legal moves involved political leaders in the St. Louis region.
One of the first major actions was filing what’s known as quo warranto to oust then-St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner over widespread mismanagement within her office. Gardner resigned before the case worked through the legal process.
Bailey later filed a similar legal maneuver to remove St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery from office over a host of issues, accusing him of nepotism and abusing his office. That case is still pending. And after a judge appointed him as special prosecutor, his office convinced a grand jury to indict St. Louis County Executive Sam Page for using public money to politically attack a countywide ballot proposition.
Bailey also evoked controversy during his roughly two years on the job.
In 2023, Bailey sparked bipartisan outrage when he filed emergency rules that would have made it nearly impossible for adult transgender Missourians to access gender transition surgery and hormone therapy. Before Bailey withdrew those guidelines, conservative Republicans like then-Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Mike Moon said they disagreed with the attorney general’s emergency rules.
Bailey also defended the state’s abortion restrictions after Missouri voters placed strong protections for the procedure in the constitution. Those efforts have generally been unsuccessful, though Planned Parenthood clinics are still unable to offer medication abortion due to a legal dispute.
He has regularly joined other Republican attorneys general in backing Trump, including the president’s recent decision to send the California National Guard to Los Angeles in response to protests over the administration’s immigration enforcement.
Reaction to Bailey's departure
After Bailey announced his exit from his statewide post, several prominent Republicans praised him for his electoral service.
U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, who Bailey replaced as attorney general, said in a statement “is a fighter and will do great at the FBI."
"Missouri continues to be a key part of President Trump’s revitalization of our system of justice!” Schmitt said.
Congresswoman Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, said Trump's "outstanding selection of Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey today will strengthen law and order at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and provide much needed support to Director Kash Patel to further advance a return to law and order across the nation."
"Andrew did an outstanding job leading the Attorney General's office in Missouri, and I am confident he will bring that same passion and dedication to Washington, D.C.," Wagner said.
At least one high-ranking Missouri Democratic leader, though, took a dim view of Bailey's tenure in office.
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City, said in a statement that Kehoe has the opportunity “to appoint a competent and professional attorney general who will defend the rights of all Missourians instead of wasting taxpayer money on frivolous culture war lawsuits that regularly get laughed out of court."
"Given the damage Bailey inflicted on the reputations of both the Attorney General’s Office and the state of Missouri, he will not be missed," Aune said. "While his new role in the Trump administration allows Bailey take his antics to the national stage, his record of incompetence provides some solace that his impact on the federal justice system will be limited.”
