Washington DC - Andrew Bailey, a deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced his resignation on Monday, amid rumors of tensions with the agency's director, Kash Patel.
"With great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri," Bailey wrote on X. Before joining the FBI, Bailey was attorney general of the state of Missouri.
"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," Bailey continued.
Under President Donald Trump, the role of FBI deputy director had been unusually shared by two people.
Bailey initially shared the post with co-deputy director Dan Bongino, a staunch Trump loyalist with a penchant for conspiracy theories, whom critics said was unqualified for the job. After Bongino announced his resignation at the end of last year, Christopher Raia took over the vacant post.
Ahead of Bailey's resignation, several media outlets had reported on the co-deputy director's strained relationship with Patel, who has overhauled the agency's senior leadership since taking office.
According to CBS, Patel – also a Trump loyalist – excluded Bailey from meetings he was supposed to attend because Bailey had repeatedly criticized FBI practices as unconstitutional.
Media outlets also reported that Bailey had been brought into the agency as a potential successor to Patel, after repeated speculation that the FBI director could lose his post.