Posted on 08/19/2025 7:39:06 AM PDT by Red Badger
President Donald Trump plans to appoint Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to share the role of second-in-command at the FBI as the administration tries to contain tension over its handling of the files related to the case of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Bailey would serve as deputy director of the FBI alongside Dan Bongino, who has clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the release of files from the Epstein investigation.
Trump was expected to make the announcement Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the decision who was granted anonymity to discuss it beforehand. Fox News Digital was first to report on Trump’s plans to appoint Bailey.
The White House deferred to the Department of Justice for comment. DOJ did not immediately respond to comment.
Bailey, a former prosecutor who has been serving as the attorney general of Missouri since January 2023, interviewed with Trump at Mar-a-Lago during the transition for the role of U.S. Attorney General.
The announcement comes as anger over the Epstein Files roils the MAGA base and has exposed fractures within the FBI. Bongino has been at odds with Bondi over the handling of the sensitive documents — at one point privately threatening to resign. That created an untenable working condition even if he later went back to work.
Bailey’s tenure as Missouri AG has included high-profile moves aligned with Trump’s interests, including a long-shot petition filed last year with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to lift the gag order against Trump and delay his New York sentencing until after the Nov. 5 election.
Bailey was appointed in 2023 to fill a mid-term vacancy after the previous Missouri attorney general, Eric Schmitt, was elected to the U.S. Senate. He won a full term in November after defeating Trump White House staff secretary Will Scharf in the Republican primary.
The guy looks tough as nails
The “news” people are so desperately trying to make Epstein a big scandal.
Funny how almost none of the "news" people actually report the news.
can there be two number twos at the FBI?
Sure................
Because the Democrats must be pushing them to do so. After all, they work for the Democrat Party. Follow the money.
Maybe he eats nails for breakfast...........
Sure, Sophia, that's the reason they brought him in. AG Bondi and her team found the Augean Stables were about 100 times deeper than they originally thought and they need help cleaning then out.
So is Dan Bongino on the way out?
I read that he was “Co-Deputy Director” with Bongino. Bongino isn’t a lawyer and this guy is a prosecutor and AG which helps with the huge caseload they have—too many people doing too many things wrong. I was waiting for this because I think there is too much fior Patel and Bongino to handle.
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Or will it be the other way around? This position is usually occupied by just one person. Coming not long after Bongino's disagreement with Bondi this is particularly interesting.
First Janet Reno (remember the raid on little Elian Gonzalez). Then Pam Bondi (what or whom will she end up remembered for). Females at the top. Gotta love ‘em. Stay tuned.
How things are “usually” done “usually” doesn’t apply to President Trump...
I suspect Dan is going back to his show.
“So is Dan Bongino on the way out?”
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Maybe not out, but possibly out of favor. He made some serious waves that rocked the boat. Not saying he deserved it, just noting that its probably power politics being played.
I hear you but remember that Bongino made some serious waves that rocked the boat. That kind of thing doesn’t go over well in Washington — in any administration. Its certainly possible that other factors were in play but given the intensity of the disagreement between Bongino and Bondi the timing of this appointment looks to be a consequence of that dispute.
The "usual" is not relevant. You can't clean up the DS with the usual.
There is way too much work that needs to be done. Two deputy directors is a good thing. And I suppose Bongino welcomes this too.
Axios, AP, and NBC were the primary sources of the “falling out” that also was to have led to the ouster of Bongino, Patel, AND Bondi.
Good to know how highly regarded all three of these are on Free Republic as credible news sources and how accurate they were that all three of the law enforcement leaders were forced to resign in a clash with each other and the President.
Oh... wait...
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