Feds raid office, business of Virginia Senate president

The FBI on Wednesday morning raided the Portsmouth, Va., office of Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas. Agents also carried out a raid at a nearby cannabis dispensary she co-owned, according to local news site WAVY. Lucas’ district covers parts of Chesapeake and Portsmouth. A Fox News journalist reported that at least three people at the dispensary were taken into custody.

The searches were based on court-approved warrants, an FBI spokesperson told WAVY. The investigation was ongoing and there was no threat to public safety, the person said. The New York Times reported that the investigation was part of a probe that began during the Biden administration over possible corruption and bribery related to marijuana businesses. The FBI did not immediately respond to WORLD’s request for further information.

How have lawmakers responded? Several Virginia state and U.S. Democratic lawmakers suggested that the raid was politically motivated. Rep. Bobby Scott said Wednesday that it came amid what he described as the Trump administration’s repeated abuse of the Justice Department, and just two weeks after Lucas helped pass Virginia’s Democratic-leaning redistricting plan.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s story on the Justice Department’s lawsuit against the city of Denver over its assault weapons ban.