President Donald Trump appointed Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey as FBI co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino on August 18, 2025. The move comes amid tensions over the Jeffrey Epstein files,

The move appears to diminish the authority of the current deputy director, Dan Bongino, whose tumultuous tenure has included a pitched argument over files related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The Justice Department said Monday that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, an ardent backer of President Donald Trump, had been appointed FBI co-deputy director. Bailey said he would resign as Missouri's top prosecutor to join conservative podcaster Dan Bongino in the bureau's No. 2 spot.

The FBI’s deputy director had sparred with Pam Bondi over the administration’s backtrack on the Epstein files.

A review of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein has sparked a conflict between Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, sources say.

Dan Bongino, former conservative radio host and current FBI Deputy Director, posted a vague but highly ominous statement Saturday about what he's learned during an internal investigation of corruption and "political weaponization" at federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies,