FBI Gets New Deputy Director, Though Bongino Hasn’t Quit

We’ve come a long way from Donald Trump routinely notifying administration officials of their termination via tweet. But working in the second Trump White House still sounds pretty unnerving. The administration just announced that Missouri attorney general Andrew Bailey has been tapped to be deputy director of the FBI — which is pretty weird since Dan Bongino is already serving in that role.

Fox News Digital broke the news on Monday that Bailey will serve as co–deputy director alongside Bongino. The report included statements praising Bailey from both FBI director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“I am thrilled to welcome Andrew Bailey as co–deputy director of the FBI,” Bondi said. “He has served as a distinguished state attorney general and is a decorated war veteran, bringing expertise and dedication to service. His leadership and commitment to the country will be a tremendous asset as we work together to advance President Trump’s mission.”

The report did not clarify how the two deputy directors will divide their duties, nor did it allude to the conflict between Patel, Bondi, and Bongino over the administration’s botched release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Or that day Bongino didn’t show up to work in June, amid multiple reports that he was planning to quit because he was furious about the Epstein situation. All of which seems like it may be relevant?

Or not, if you trust Bongino’s one-word, no-exclamation-point response to this news:

The New York Times reported that Bailey’s mysterious appointment has “bewildered many current and former F.B.I. agents, who said they had never heard of a co–deputy director.”

This strange move isn’t necessarily a dig at Bongino. It could be part of Trump’s maximum-chaos approach to governing. As the Times noted, “Mr. Trump has a tendency to appoint one person to multiple high-level positions, as well as task multiple people with the same role.”

And back in May, Bongino told Fox News that the job was taking a toll on him. So maybe the FBI put another person in the exact same role to help Bongino with his work-life balance?

Hey, it’s possible! Though considering that Trump officials once let it be known that a colleague was on the toilet when he learned he was getting canned, humiliating Bongino does seem like the likeliest explanation.