Weeks after Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas led a successful campaign supporting a Democrat-friendly redistricting effort, the FBI has raided her office.
Fox News reports agents obtained a warrant to search Lucas’ Portsmouth office. Simultaneously, a SWAT team raided a cannabis dispensary Lucas owns. The search is reportedly part of a corruption investigation. A reporter for the national outlet was at the scene of the raid.
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott immediately condemned the search.
“Given the politicization of this administration — an FBI led by Kash Patel and a Justice Department run by President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney — I think people should take this with a grain of salt and allow the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions,” he said in a statement.
“At this point we simply do not know what this ultimately means. Right now, there is far more theatrics and speculation than actual information available to the public. It also raises important questions. How was Fox News, a national media outlet, first on the scene? Did they know about the raid beforehand? If so, who approved that? And what more information is there about what this raid was actually about? Virginians deserve answers before anyone rushes to political conclusions.”
Lucas’ U.S. Representative, who benefitted from the new map, also voiced skepticism.
“While we await the full facts of the investigation, it must be acknowledged that this FBI raid occurs in the broader context of President Trump’s repeated abuse of the Department of Justice to target his perceived political opponents,” U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott posted on X.
“It should be noted that this is occurring just two weeks after Senator Lucas helped lead the successful effort by Virginia voters to reject President (Donald) Trump’s attempt to rig the midterm elections. This raid on Senator Lucas’ office and businesses also comes as President Trump has pressured the Department of Justice to pursue investigations and prosecutions against New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and multiple Democratic Members of Congress. Like all Americans, Senator Lucas has a right to due process and a presumption of innocence.”
Scott referenced the recent vote implementing a new congressional district where a majority of voters in 10 of 11 Virginia U.S. House districts supported Democrat Kamala Harris for President in 2024 and Democrat Abigail Spanberger for Governor last year. The map is currently being challenged in front of the Virginia Supreme Court.
The raid angered Democratic leaders throughout the state.
“Someone is apparently very upset by the effectiveness of Va. State Senator Louise Lucas. Who could that possibly be?” posted Fergie Reid, founder of the 90 for 90 Voter Registration Project.
Spanberger’s office said it will monitor the situation.
“The Governor is aware of today’s law enforcement operation in Portsmouth. In the absence of additional details, the Governor will not be commenting on a federal investigation at this time,” reads a statement released to media.
