Feds execute search warrants on Sen. Louise Lucas's office and business

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:01]With a SWAT team in tow, federal agents, including the FBI and DEA, execute search warrants on the Portsmith office and business belonging to State Senator Luis Lucas. In a statement, the FBI said it was executing a court authorized federal search warrant that is part of an ongoing investigation and would not release further details. While the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia declined to comment, sources tell the Associated Press the warrants are tied to a corruption probe. While the New York Times reports it's a bribery investigation tied to a cannabis dispensary owned by Lucas that began under the Biden administration.

[00:00:35]>> Senator, is there anything you can say?

[00:00:37]Lucas was on scene of the raid, but didn't speak with CBS's reporter when approached, but community members did, saying they came to show support for her and decrieded this as a political investigation against a powerful Democrat.

[00:00:49]>> And I feel that they just really just want to go after her. It's character assassination.

[00:00:54]>> Lucas has been serving in the state senate since 1992 and currently chairs the powerful finance committee and serves as president prom of the senate.

[00:01:02]She's also been a key backer of the ongoing efforts to redraw Virginia's congressional map to heavily favor Democrats.

[00:01:09]>> No comment, no idea what's going on.

[00:01:10]>> CBS 6 asked several Democratic lawmakers at the capital about the raid a few hours after news broke, but were told no comment or that they didn't know about it. Wednesday afternoon, Governor Abigail Spamberger told media in Stafford, Virginia she was aware of the operation.

[00:01:24]>> I am awaiting uh more details to become public before weighing in with any strong public comment. Uh, and as more information becomes available, uh, I look forward to making further comment.

[00:01:34]>> But she's entitled to due process and a presumption of innocence.

[00:01:38]>> In a statement in an interview at the scene of the raid, Virginia Congressman Bobby Scott said it occurs in the quote broader context of President Trump's repeated abuse of the Department of Justice to target his perceived political opponents. It's in the context of um Comey being indicted, Jerome Powell being investigated, Tis James trying to indict her, members of Congress.

[00:02:00]>> Certainly, we we typically haven't seen that with too many legislators over time.

[00:02:05]>> Meanwhile, CBS 6 political analyst Dr. Bob Hollesworth says the last case of this magnitude was the corruption charges against former Republican Governor Bob McDonald. While he was convicted at the lower level, the case was eventually overturned by the US Supreme Court >> was that it not only led to the acquitt of Governor McDonald um but at the same time it has raised the bar for these bribery investigations and bribery um um and a bribery conviction. I think we want to uh wait till we hear more information before we can really make any judgment now. And another statement regarding today's raid from House Speaker Don Scott who said he is deeply concerned by it and adds that given the current politicization of the current administration saying that he thinks quote people should take this with a grain of salt and allow the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions.

[00:02:57]He also questions how Fox News was the first outlet on scene and if they were made aware of this beforehand and finished by saying that Virginiaians need more information before rushing to political conclusions at the state capital. Cameron Thompson, CBS6 News.