Office Of Virginia Senate Leader Searched By FBI As Part Of Corruption Probe

The FBI searched the Virginia state Senate leader’s office on Wednesday as part of a corruption investigation, a person familiar with the matter said.

The search at Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas’s district office in Portsmouth comes after the Democrat helped lead the state’s recent redistricting effort.

Virginia Senate President pro tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, listens to debate on the Senate floor, Feb. 17, 2026, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Ryan M. Kelly, File)
Virginia Senate President pro tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, listens to debate on the Senate floor, Feb. 17, 2026, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Ryan M. Kelly, File)

The FBI said only that it was conducting a court-authorized search warrant in Portsmouth. The person who confirmed the FBI’s search was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Photos shared with the AP showed an armored FBI vehicle and several agents in camouflage outside the Cannabis Outlet, which Lucas opened in 2021, saying it sold legal hemp and CBD products. Virginia has legalized marijuana possession, but retail sales of recreational marijuana remain illegal in the state.

A message seeking comment was left on a cellphone for Lucas, who has been a state senator for 34 years. She is the first woman and first African American to serve as the body’s president pro tempore.

State House Speaker Don Scott said he was deeply concerned by the FBI search.

“Right now, there is far more theatrics and speculation than actual information available to the public,” Scott, a Democrat, said in a statement, adding that more facts were needed “before anyone rushes to political conclusions.”

Virginia Democrats were quick to note that the search comes as the FBI and Justice Department have opened a spate of politically charged investigations into perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump.

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS