President Donald Trump has tapped Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to serve as co-deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to statements from Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed by multiple news outlets including Fox News, Reuters and the New York Times. Bailey will share the bureau’s No. 2 post with current deputy director Dan Bongino in an arrangement that does not require Senate confirmation. Bailey, a former combat veteran who has led Missouri’s justice department since 2023, said he is “eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve” at the national level. He plans to step down as Missouri’s attorney general on 8 September, after which Governor Mike Kehoe is expected to appoint a replacement to complete Bailey’s term. Bondi called the appointment “thrilling,” citing Bailey’s record on human-trafficking prosecutions and his clearing of the state’s backlog of sexual-assault evidence kits. Patel said Bailey would be “integral” to advancing the administration’s law-and-order agenda. The unusual decision to install two deputy directors comes after reports of tension between Bongino and Bondi over the handling of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Under Patel’s leadership, the FBI says it has made 19,000 arrests so far in 2025—double last year’s total—and rescued roughly 4,000 child victims. Bailey’s appointment is intended to reinforce those efforts while broadening the bureau’s senior leadership as the administration intensifies its crime-reduction strategy.