Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a staunch Republican ally of President Donald Trump, announced Monday that he will resign next month to take a senior leadership position at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Bailey will step down Sept. 8 to serve as the FBI’s co-deputy director, sharing the role with conservative commentator Dan Bongino, the bureau confirmed. His departure comes amid sweeping changes at the FBI under Director Kash Patel, who has overseen the removal of numerous senior officials, including leaders of major field offices.
Justice Department officials have also sought lists of agents who worked on investigations tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, part of Patel’s ongoing overhaul of the agency.
“My life has been defined by a call to service, and I am once again answering that call, this time at the national level,” Bailey said in a statement.
Bailey’s tenure marked by high-profile lawsuits
Bailey, who took office in early 2023 after being appointed by then-Gov. Mike Parson, quickly became a prominent legal warrior for the GOP. He filed and joined numerous lawsuits against the Biden administration on immigration, environmental regulations, student loan forgiveness, gun safety policies and transgender rights measures.
He also threatened lawsuits against private gyms over bathroom policies, pressured schools to ban drag shows and sued New York state over Trump’s criminal hush money trial, calling it “overt meddling” in the 2024 election.
In one of his most controversial moves, Bailey’s office defended Missouri’s strict anti-abortion laws despite a voter-approved constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights.
Earlier this year, his office secured a symbolic $24.5 billion judgment against China over the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing a lawsuit first filed by his predecessor, now-Sen. Eric Schmitt.
Political future uncertain
An Army veteran and former general counsel to Gov. Parson, Bailey narrowly won a full four-year term as attorney general last November. His sudden departure gives Gov. Mike Kehoe, a fellow Republican, the chance to name a replacement. Kehoe is expected to announce his appointee on Tuesday.
The move places Bailey, long seen as one of Trump’s most loyal state attorneys general, in a powerful federal role at a time when the FBI is facing both internal upheaval and sharp partisan scrutiny.
