Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is stepping down to become a deputy director of the FBI, ahead of what many believe will be prosecutions of powerful political figures.
“I am proud to announce I have accepted the role of Co-Deputy Director of the FBI,” Bailey wrote on X.
“I extend my thanks to @POTUS and @AGPamBondi for the opportunity to serve in the mission to Make America Safe Again. I will protect America and uphold the Constitution.”
Bailey will work for President Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel, and alongside co-deputy director Dan Bongino. The Department of Justice is currently investigating a simmering stew of scandals, from the Russia hoax to possible Biden FBI involvement in the Jan. 6 unrest at the Capitol, to alleged mortgage fraud by top Democrats Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Bailey, an Iraq combat veteran and graduate of the University of Missouri, first served the state as an assistant attorney general, then as a Warren County assistant prosecutor. He became general counsel for Gov. Mike Parson, who appointed Bailey attorney general when then-AG Eric Schmitt was elected U.S. senator in 2022.
Earlier this year, Bailey’s office won a $24 billion court judgment against China for its hoarding of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bailey also pressed the Missouri v. Biden lawsuit, filed by his predecessor, that uncovered a “vast censorship enterprise” involving various federal agencies and social media companies.
Gov. Mike Kehoe quickly appointed former Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway to replace Bailey as attorney general.
Hanaway is a respected former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. She is the only woman to serve as speaker, which she did from 2003 to 2005.
“Her strategic leadership and organizational skill culminated in 2003 when she led House Republicans to the majority and became Missouri’s first female Speaker of the House,” the Missouri Times reports, prompting the news outlet to dub Hanaway “Missouri’s Red State Architect.”
“Her tenure as Speaker was marked by major legislative victories,” The Missouri Times writes, “including Missouri’s first concealed-carry law, reforming the foster care system after the death of toddler Dominic James, advancing pro-life policies, and opposing tax increases. Colleagues and opponents alike remember her work ethic and strategic planning.
“Former Chief of Staff Chuck Caisley said, ‘She didn’t waste a lot of time doing things other leaders had done. She had a plan, and the hard work paid off.’”
She served as U.S. attorney under President George W. Bush, “prosecuting over 4,000 cases with a focus on methamphetamine trafficking, child exploitation, government corruption, and Medicare and Medicaid fraud,” The Missouri Times reports. “Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen recalled, “She was one of the very few U.S. Attorneys who actually walked into court and tried cases herself… brilliant, but with common sense, and always ethical.”
Hanaway has since become the first woman chair of national law firm Husch Blackwell.
