FBI raids office of Virginia Democratic senator who championed the state’s redrawn congressional map
by Matt Delaney · The Washington TimesThe FBI on Wednesday raided the office of Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, a Democrat who led the charge to redraw the state’s congressional maps.
Federal officials said they were “executing a court-authorized federal search warrant in Portsmouth.” The warrants reportedly stem from a corruption probe led by the bureau.
“There is no threat to public safety. This is an ongoing investigation and no further information is publicly available at this time,” a bureau spokesperson said.
Ms. Lucas is the state’s Senate president pro tempore who urged Virginians to adopt new congressional maps to combat President Trump and his “shenanigans.”
Several states have undergone furious redistricting efforts as Republicans and Democrats vie for control of the House in this fall’s midterms.
Voters approved Virginia’s new congressional map in a high profile election last month, but the state’s Supreme Court is currently reviewing the legality of the ballot measure.
Ms. Lucas has been an effective sparring partner against the commonwealth’s Republicans. In 2024, while serving as the chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, she stonewalled former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s attempt to relocate the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals to Alexandria.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.