Virginia’s Gerrymander Champion Raided by FBI

On Wednesday, FBI agents reportedly raided the office and business of state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, the Virginia legislator and prominent leader of the state’s recent redistricting effort that won Democrats four more likely seats in the House of Representatives.

The senator’s office and cannabis dispensary, located on the same block, were swarmed by armed agents, decked out in camouflage tactical gear, with an armored vehicle on the scene, as they handcuffed and detained several men who were inside the dispensary. Agents carried out several boxes from the senator’s office. And, of course, MAGA’s favorite network, Fox News, was there to break the story.

Local ABC affiliate WSET cited undisclosed sources in claiming that the raid was part of an ongoing bribery and corruption investigation against Lucas initiated under the Biden administration, but several Virginia legislators have expressed skepticism about the political motivations behind the raid.

“I am deeply concerned by today’s FBI raid,” said state legislator Don Scott, the speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates, 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 added, “At this point, we simply do not know what this ultimately means. Right now, there is far more theatrics and speculation than actual information available to the public.”