When FBI co-deputy director Andrew Bailey announced Monday that he’s leaving the agency, speculation swirled regarding his reasons — speculation that included a lack of faith in FBI Director Kash Patel. Bailey refuted these “lies” and said, “Any accusation that Director Patel has focused on anything other than fulfilling the president’s promise to make America safe again are bold-faced lies.”
Bailey, who resigned his position as Missouri’s Attorney General in 2025 to take the FBI job, wrote on social media: “I’ve dedicated my career to protecting kids, as a prosecutor, as Missouri’s Attorney General, and at the FBI. But my most important job is being Dad. I’m excited to be back in Missouri with my family.”
Former U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who was President Trump’s initial pick for Attorney General in his second administration, responded to Bailey’s post: “Andrew is an incredible public servant. He should enjoy some time with his family and strongly consider a run for Missouri Governor when the time is right.”
Andrew is an incredible public servant.
He should enjoy some time with his family and strongly consider a run for Missouri Governor when the time is right.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) September 30, 2026
Gaetz’s detractors on X are questioning the reliability of his recommendations, with some noting that Gaetz also recently praised MAGA-aligned Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), calling him “an intellectual giant and a deeply patriotic public servant” just hours before Schmitt drew widespread ridicule for his questioning of former special counsel Jack Smith this week.
Interrogating Smith, Schmitt conflated the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks with the NCAA’s Iowa Hawkeyes while pursuing a conspiracy theory involving then-Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Eric Schmitt beclowns himself during Jack Smith hearing
Schmitt concocted an elaborate conspiracy theory that Smith traveled to Atlanta to go to a Hawks game and collude with Fani Willis, and briefly displayed his “evidence” on a poster board before accusing Smith of… pic.twitter.com/wDMiVrrKBF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 29, 2026
Schmitt, who also once served as Missouri’s Attorney General, is reportedly being considered as a possible running mate in a potential JD Vance 2028 presidential campaign.
Gaetz wrote: “I would support any ambition of Senator Schmitt. If you watch his work closely, you’ll see he’s one of the very best.”
.@SenEricSchmitt is an intellectual giant and a deeply patriotic public servant.
I would support any ambition of Senator Schmitt.
If you watch his work closely, you’ll see he’s one of the very best. https://t.co/3vXF5Meepk
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) September 29, 2026
The Governor of Missouri is Mike Kehoe, a Trump-endorsed Republican who started his four-year term in January 2025. With Missouri’s next gubernatorial election in 2028 and Kehoe saying he plans to run again, Gaetz’s suggestion would mean a Bailey run could result in a Republican primary between the sitting governor and the former attorney general.
[NOTE: In September, the Missouri Independent reported on a new St. Louis University/YouGov poll that shows “more Missourians disapprove of President Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Kehoe’s job performance than approve.” According to the survey, “52% of Missourians polled said they disapprove or strongly disapprove of the president’s performance,” and “49% disapprove of Kehoe’s performance.”]