Bailey's appointment comes after fears just last month that Bongino was on his way out of the department after the botched Epstein saga.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will serve as the FBI's co-deputy director, alongside the law enforcement agency's current second-in-command, Dan Bongino.

In what appears to be a first for the FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel announced Monday that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will serve as co-deputy director of the agency after a rift arose last month with Deputy Director Dan Bongino.