FBI deputy abruptly resigns with surprise statement on Kash Patel

Jack Hobbs Tue, September 29, 2026 at 12:20 PM UTC

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Former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that he was stepping down from his role within the FBI -Credit:Vanessa Abbitt/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

An FBI deputy abruptly resigned from the bureau on Monday after issuing a statement saying he still had faith in Kash Patel, despite several blunders by the Trump official.

"I want to thank President Trump, @AGToddBlanche, and @FBIDirectorKash for the opportunity to serve in the FBI," former Missouri attorney general Andrew Bailey said about Patel, who has a much younger girlfriend. "Under President Trump's leadership, we have delivered historic results in our mission to Make America Safe Again."

"With great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri," he added. "I am confident Director Patel will continue to reform the FBI, combat violent crime, defend the homeland, ensure strong organizational accountability, and restore public trust in this institution of excellence." It comes just days after a lip reader spotted Ivanka Trump's 3-word order to JD Vance as they whispered at the White House.

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Patel also issued a statement thanking Bailey for his "dedicated service." Taking to X, Patel wrote, "I want to thank Andrew Bailey for his dedicated service to return the FBI to its core mission and fulfill President Trump's promise to make America safe again."

"Although Andrew is leaving the FBI in order to return to his family in Missouri, his fantastic contribution instituting critical reforms which resulted in our historic success will live on," Patel added. "Andrew's leadership at the FBI will be missed but we are grateful he answered the call to serve! Thanks Andrew for your tremendous dedication to the mission of this FBI."

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Various comments wished Bailey well, while some slammed the deputy. "The senior @FBI position of 'co-Deputy Director'—which had never existed before and was created out of thin air because of @dbongino's inability to handle the role—has now been vacated," one person wrote.

"Former Missouri AG Andrew Bailey served quietly in the background of Bongino's and Patel's numerous very public missteps and controversies," they added. "Many of us thought that Bailey had been brought in to take Patel's place as Director of the Bureau eventually."

Bailey had been at the FBI for a year before his resignation -Credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images

"While no real details or reasons for his departure have been revealed, Bailey has offered the standard trope: he is returning home to spend more time with family," Steve Baker, an investigative journalist, added. "Never fear, though; the FBI still has the other co-Deputy Director who replaced Bongino, Christopher Raia."

Baker added, "Bailey was a standout Republican Attorney General in Missouri." He continued, Many pundits considered him the best AG in the country. Maybe he is just too good a person to sit quietly while the Blob does all the Blob things. He lasted about a year. Longer than some."

Bailey had been at the bureau for only a year and had been a strong supporter of the president and his goals. Bailey will officially leave the FBI on Friday.

His departure comes after numerous agents and veteran FBI officials have been terminated or pushed out after their involvement in cases that displeased the White House. His departure comes three days after two senior agents were reassigned for their handling of an investigation into harassing calls to Katie Miller, the wife of Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. An FBI spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

It comes after a TV star revealed Trump's disturbing 2-word comment in his limo that left her terrified.

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Source: “AOL Breaking”