PORTSMOUTH, Va. — State Sen. L. Louise Lucas’ business office in Portsmouth was raided by the FBI Wednesday morning in what sources have described as a corruption investigation.
The New York Times cites anonymous sources who said the search was in connection with an investigation opened during the Biden administration, which is examining “possible corruption and bribery related to marijuana dispensary businesses.”
The Norfolk FBI office only confirmed it executed a court-authorized federal search warrant in Portsmouth, but did not elaborate.
Watch: State Sen. L. Louise Lucas approached by reporter during FBI raid
Lucas was seen in a car in a nearby parking lot during the raid on her Portsmouth office. News 3 reporter Brendan Ponton approached her in the front passenger seat, but she turned away and the car left.
In video taken by News 3, members of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team were seen taking photos at the scene. A cannabis dispensary co-owned by Lucas — The Cannabis Outlet — was also being searched by federal law enforcement officials, a bureau spokesperson told CBS News.
Security camera obtained by News 3 shows the FBI searching The Cannabis Outlet around 10:15 a.m.
Watch: Security camera footage captures FBI raid at The Cannabis Outlet
Reactions from several Virginia Democrats, including Lucas, decried the raid and suggested it was politically motivated.
In a statement posted to social media on Wednesday night, Lucas wrote that the raid on her business “fits a clear pattern from this administration: when challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them.”
See the full statement below.
pic.twitter.com/R4ZOnZkXAn
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth-88), with whom Lucas worked on the commonwealth’s recent redistricting effort, said he was deeply concerned.
“Senator L. Louise Lucas has not been charged with anything! I am deeply concerned by today’s FBI raid,” Scott said in a statement. “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.”
Scott also questioned how national cable outlet Fox News was first on the scene for the raid — before local media learned about it.
“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,” Scott said.
U.S. Rep Bobby Scott, who represents Virginia’s 3rd district, which includes Portsmouth, said context is key — and tied it to the recent redraw of the congressional map.
Watch: State Sen. L. Louise Lucas’ business seen being raided by FBI
“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,” Scott said. “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 Trump’s attempt to rig the midterm elections.”
Rep. Scott went on to compare the raid on Lucas’ office to efforts by the Trump administration to prosecute the president’s political opponents, such as former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and others.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s office released a brief statement:
“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.”
Lucas, a Democrat, represents District 18 in the Virginia State Senate, which covers parts of Chesapeake and Portsmouth. The 82-year-old Portsmouth-native was first elected to this seat back in 1991. She currently serves as the President pro tempore of the Virginia State Senate, she is also the chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
Recently, Lucas has been the CEO of a Portsmouth business that runs residences, day programs and transportation for intellectually disabled adults.
News 3 spoke with members of the Portsmouth community to gather their reactions to the FBI raid, both of whom also alleged this action was politically motivated.
“You know, she looks out for her state, for her people. And I don’t understand what all this is about,” one local woman told News 3. “And I feel it’s all political.”
Another member of the community, Earl Lewis, called the raids “character assassination.” He suggested they could have been in response to the Democrat-backed redistricting measure.
“And I think, there’s a whole lot of people that got hurt by that — because Senator Lucas was right there on the spot,” Lewis said.
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