Bailey took the post in August 2025 and made the announcement in a post on X. "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. He added that he is confident Director Patel will keep pushing to reform the FBI, fight violent crime, defend the homeland and restore public trust in the institution.
Bailey had shared the co-deputy director role with Dan Bongino since stepping into the position. His exit puts another leadership change atop an agency that has already seen turnover at the top levels this year.
Questions remain about who fills the vacancy. How the co-deputy structure functions with one seat empty is a detail that affects how the bureau's upper ranks operate day to day.
Bailey lasted barely a year in the job.