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Virginia State Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas has responded to the FBI’s raid of her office on Wednesday (May 6).
Several FBI vehicles were parked outside Lucas’s office in Portsmouth, Virginia, on Wednesday, according to The Hill. Agents described the operation as a “court-authorized search warrant,” carried out in connection with an ongoing corruption probe.
Lucas, who helped spearhead the state's push to redraw Virginia’s congressional lines to challenge potential Republican gains in the November midterms, described the search as a politically motivated response to that push.
“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,” Lucas wrote in a statement posted to X. “What we saw fits a clear pattern from this administration: when challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them.”
Virginians ultimately voted in favor of the referendum last month, which established a map that would chart a clearer path for Democrats to win four seats in November.
However, a county judge blocked state officials from implementing the referendum on April 22, and the Virginia Supreme Court declined to lift the injunction amid ongoing legal challenges.
“I am deeply grateful for the love and support of my family and friends and for the many colleagues and constituents who have reached out in recent hours,” Lucas said. “I will have more to say in the days ahead, but know this: I am not backing down, and I will keep fighting for the people of Portsmouth and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Two people familiar with the case reportedly told The Associated Press that the investigation into Lucas had been going on since the Biden administration, on the condition of anonymity.
Agents were also seen carrying several boxes and bags out of the back door of a nearby business, The Cannabis Outlet, a CBD shop that Lucas opened in 2021.
Lucas has been a longtime advocate of marijuana legalization and co-sponsored the 2021 legislation that officially legalized the possession and use of recreational marijuana in Virginia. However, a 2022 investigation by Virginia Mercury found that several products sold at The Cannabis Outlet contained THC levels inconsistent with labeling.
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