Kash Patel’s FBI loses another top official
Por Josephine Walker — Axios
Andrew Bailey, deputy director of the FBI, is leaving his post after just over a year of service, Bailey and Director Kash Patel confirmed Monday.
Why it matters: Bailey’s resignation adds to turnover under Patel, as top aides and experienced security officials have left the agency.
What they’re saying: “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 Monday.
- “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.”
- Replying to Bailey’s post, Patel said he was thankful for his service and that his “fantastic contribution[s] instituting critical reforms which resulted in our historic success will live on. Andrew’s leadership at the FBI will be missed but we are grateful he answered the call to serve!”
- When reached for comment, the FBI directed Axios to Bailey’s Monday morning X post.
Zoom in: Bailey, Missouri’s former attorney general, oversaw some of the FBI’s election security efforts, making his departure a little more than a month before the midterms particularly notable.
- Bailey was also in charge of the FBI’s raid on the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in Georgia in January, where agents seized ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election.
Catch up quick: Bailey was first tapped to serve as co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino last August, an uncommon dual-leadership arrangement.
- Many FBI agents believed then-Attorney General Pam Bondi brought Bailey in as a potential successor if President Trump soured on Patel, the New York Times reports.
- Bondi left her post as attorney general in April. Bongino announced last December that he was leaving the FBI to return to podcasting.
- After Bongino departed, Christopher Raia, the former head of the FBI’s New York field office, was tapped to serve as co-deputy director alongside Bailey.
Go deeper: Patel defends FBI hiring changes involving bestiality, prostitution
Fonte: Axios