American Oversight Demands Records on Missouri AG’s Abuses of Power Amid FBI Appointment

Friday, American Oversight demanded that the Missouri Attorney General’s Office comply with the state’s Sunshine Law and release records related to Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s politicization of prosecutorial power as Missouri’s chief law enforcement officer, including whether he had any communications concerning the attempted extradition of a New York doctor who provided reproductive health care via telemedicine. The demand comes as Bailey has been nominated to serve as co–Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — an appointed position that bypasses Senate confirmation, making transparency essential to ensure his record is fully scrutinized before he assumes one of the nation’s most powerful law enforcement roles.

In a letter sent to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, American Oversight detailed how Bailey’s office has repeatedly and unlawfully delayed responding to a narrow public records request first filed on March 19, 2025. Despite the Sunshine Law’s requirement that requests be acted upon within three business days, Bailey’s office has pushed back the earliest date it says it can produce records three separate times, now claiming that the records may not be available until October — more than six months after the initial request was made.

“Attorney General Bailey is poised to take on one of the most powerful law enforcement roles in the country, but his record already shows a troubling disregard for basic transparency and the rule of law,” said Chioma Chukwu, Executive Director of American Oversight. “The public deserves to know whether Bailey sought to weaponize his office to target doctors providing lawful reproductive health care. Installing him at the FBI without full scrutiny is reckless, particularly under an administration that has repeatedly abused the Justice Department’s power.  Missouri law is clear: government records belong to the people, not to the officials who may prefer to keep them hidden. Bailey’s appointment to a senior federal post makes it all the more urgent that all Americans understand whether he abused the power of his office for partisan gain.”

The watchdog’s demand comes against the backdrop of Bailey’s broader efforts to undermine the will of Missouri voters on reproductive rights. Just months after voters approved Amendment 3 last November — overturning Missouri’s abortion ban and enshrining the right to abortion in the state constitution — Bailey sought to undermine those protections by advancing restrictions that defied the ballot measure. Among them was an order directing the state’s largest reproductive health care providers to stop offering medication abortions, even though the procedure was not yet available due to pending health department approval.

American Oversight’s records request seeks email communications from Bailey and other Missouri officials to determine whether — in addition to their broader assaults on reproductive rights in Missouri — they joined other state attorneys general offices in weighing the attempted extradition of a New York doctor who prescribed and mailed abortion pills via telemedicine.

Missouri’s Sunshine Law requires public agencies to provide records “as soon as possible, but in no event later than the end of the third business day” absent reasonable cause. Instead, Bailey’s office has justified its delays only by citing the number of other pending requests, a rationale with no basis in the statute.

American Oversight is demanding that the Attorney General’s Office promptly produce all responsive, non-exempt records as required by law.