JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Former U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway was appointed Tuesday as Missouri’s next attorney general, vowing a tough-on-crime approach as her predecessor leaves for a job with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Following Andrew Bailey's announcement on Monday that he will step down as Missouri Attorney General next month to join the FBI, his successor has been named.

The move appears to diminish the authority of the current deputy director, Dan Bongino, whose tumultuous tenure has included a pitched argument over files related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.