FBI raids office of Virginia Democratic lawmaker

WASHINGTON

The FBI conducted raids at the office and a business of a top Democratic lawmaker in Virginia on May 6 as part of a corruption investigation, a move the senator dismissed as politically motivated.

Louise Lucas, a long-serving member of the Virginia State Senate, is the co-owner of a legal marijuana dispensary business that is a target of the probe, according to Fox News and The New York Times.

Asked about the raid, the FBI said that it was “executing a court-authorized federal search warrant” in Portsmouth, Virginia, as part of an ongoing investigation but declined to specify what it was about.

In a post on X May 6 evening, Lucas said the actions of the FBI “are about far more than one state senator; they are about power and who is allowed to use it on behalf of the people.”

She added: “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.”

Lucas was instrumental in the recent move to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts, an initiative that could see Democrats pick up four more seats in the House of Representatives.

The Times said the corruption investigation started during the Biden administration.