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FBI raids Lucas offices
The FBI searched the Portsmouth, Virginia office of state Sen.
“The FBI searched the Virginia state Senate leader’s hometown office”
L.
Louise Lucas on Wednesday as part of an ongoing corruption investigation, according to an AP source familiar with the matter.
The FBI also searched Lucas’s neighboring cannabis shop in Portsmouth, bringing the operation into public view, AP reported.
The FBI said it was conducting a court-authorized search in Portsmouth, and such searches require approval from a judge and probable cause, AP said.
Lucas, who has been a senator for 34 years, said in an evening statement, “Today’s actions by federal agents are about far more than one state senator; they are about power and who is allowed to use it on behalf of the people,” according to AP.
Probe tied to bribery
Multiple outlets described the raid as connected to allegations of bribery related to the cannabis dispensary, with The Washington Post reporting that officials said the probe involved “allegations of bribery related to the cannabis dispensary.”
The Washington Post also reported that Lucas suggested the investigation was politically motivated and cited her recent push to have Virginia redraw its congressional districts to give Democrats a 10-1 advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
WJLA reported the FBI confirmed the search warrant at Lucas’s Portsmouth office and said the raid was part of a corruption and bribery investigation that started under the Biden administration.
WJLA added that Lucas said, “I am not backing down, and I will keep fighting for the people of Portsmouth and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” in a statement.
Redistricting stakes
The raid unfolded against Virginia’s redistricting fight, with AP saying Lucas was a prominent voice in Virginia’s recent redistricting effort, a Democrat-led initiative to counter Republican redrawing pushed by Trump.
“Voters approved a constitutional amendment on April 21 authorizing new U.S. House districts”
AP reported that voters approved a constitutional amendment on April 21 authorizing new U.S.
House districts, and that the plan could help the party win up to four additional seats.
The Washington Post said Lucas’s statement framed the search as retaliation for her work on Virginia’s redistricting effort and quoted her saying, “What we saw fits a clear patten from this administration; when challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them.”
NBC News reported that the FBI search was connected to a long-running public corruption investigation into Lucas with roots in the Biden era, and that federal agents also executed a search at a nearby business Lucas co-owns called The Cannabis Outlet.
