The FBI on Wednesday raided the office of the Virginia Democrat who led the recent redistricting push that is currently going through the courts. Reports stated that the raid was part of a corruption investigation into the longtime lawmaker.
According to The Associated Press, FBI agents executed a court-authorized search at the district office of Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas in Portsmouth. Fox News reported that the investigation was also related to illegal cannabis sales, but authorities have not confirmed that detail. The outlet stated the FBI also raided a dispensary she co-owns located next to her office.
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The AP notes that the investigation is just one of many Justice Department investigations that target perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump. In the past, the DOJ has launched multiple investigations into former FBI Director James Comey, with the most recent occurring last week. The Justice Department also targeted Democratic New York state Attorney General Letitia James, who led a major civil fraud lawsuit against Trump and his organization. A court later dismissed James’ case and Comey’s first investigation.
Fox News said that Lucas arrived at her office as FBI agents were searching the building. She said she didn’t understand why they were there. Several outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and NBC News, report that the investigation began under the Biden administration. The Journal stated the authorities were examining possible bribery and corruption related to cannabis dispensaries.
Lucas was a vocal leader in the state’s recent push to redistrict, according to the AP. In April, voters approved the constitutional amendment authorizing a Democrat-drawn congressional map that gave Democrats the chance to pick up four additional seats previously held by Republicans.
The redistricting effort began after Trump pushed Republican states to redraw their districts to give them an advantage in the midterms, beginning with Texas. The state quickly redrew its map, giving Republicans up to five more reliably red districts.
This kicked off a national gerrymandering fight with California reacting to Texas. Virginia’s redistricting remains uncertain as it continues to work its way through the courts.
Dispensary raided
Photos from the scene showed about a dozen heavily armed FBI agents raiding a marijuana dispensary next door to Lucas’ office. Fox News reported that the lawmaker was the co-owner of the business. Authorities placed at least three men into custody, the Virginia Mercury reported.
Lucas was a major proponent of Virginia’s marijuana legalization push that lawmakers passed in 2021.
The dispensary the FBI raided has faced previous issues, Fox News reported. The store faced scrutiny after an investigation found it sold some products with wrong labels or exceeded the legal limit of THC. The publication did not say whether the store faced any legal penalties for the issue.
Virginia state Democratic House Speaker Don Scott asked people to wait for the full details to come out, saying authorities have not charged her with a crime.
“At this point we simply do not know what this ultimately means,” Scott said in a statement. “Right now, there is far more theatrics and speculation than actual information available to the public.”
He also questioned how Fox News knew about the raid so fast and was at the scene before anyone else.
“How was Fox News, a national media outlet, first on the scene? Did they know about the raid beforehand? If so, who approved that?” Scott asked.
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