Dan Bongino will soon be sharing duties as co-deputy director of the FBI with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
The appointment by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, which Fox News reported Monday, comes after Bongino clashed with Bondi and threatened to resign over the Trump administration’s handling of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, the dead sex offender.
Bailey, a staunch Trump defender who has been in the role since January 2023, thanked the president and Bondi “for the opportunity to serve in the mission to Make America Safe Again,“ he wrote on X, adding: ”I will protect America and uphold the Constitution."
Bongino was selected to serve as the FBI’s sole deputy director in February, starting in the role in March.
Despite the apparent downgrade for Bongino, the former Secret Service agent and Fox News host posted a message of support for Bailey. “Welcome,” he wrote, along with three American flags.
When reached for comment, Patel told the Daily Beast in a statement that the bureau “will always bring the greatest talent this country has to offer in order to accomplish the goals set forth when an overwhelming majority of American people elected President Donald J. Trump again.”
He added: “Andrew Bailey will be an integral part of this important mission and I look forward continued fight to save America together.”
Bongino’s break with Bondi last month, which stemmed from the FBI and Justice Department’s review of the Epstein case, caused long-lasting headaches for the administration, with the president having to complain publicly about his supporters.
“What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Weeks later, after the situation had cooled a bit, Bongino posted a lengthy yet vague message on X, which only led to more scrutiny from the public.
“What I have learned in the course of our properly predicated and necessary investigations into these aforementioned matters, has shocked me down to my core,“ he wrote. ”We cannot run a Republic like this. I’ll never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.”
“We are going to conduct these righteous and proper investigations by the book and in accordance with the law,” he added. “We are going to get the answers WE ALL DESERVE. As with any investigation, I cannot predict where it will land, but I can promise you an honest and dignified effort at truth. Not ‘my truth,’ or ‘your truth,’ but THE TRUTH.”
Bailey, as Missouri’s top law enforcement officer, has taken no shortage of Trump-friendly positions. He argued against Trump’s prosecution for mishandling classified documents, and in 2024 sued New York state to try to stay Trump’s sentencing for felony business fraud. He also sued to block former President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, and investigated liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America after it reported on ads running beside pro-Nazi content on X.
Bailey’s appointment is set to take effect Sept. 8.
