FBI raid of Lucas' office comes after she led Virginia redistricting push | NBC4 Washington

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[00:00:00]The FBI raid of a high-profile Democratic lawmaker in Virginia. It has a lot of people talking this morning.

[00:00:05]>> Absolutely. Agents raided the Portsmith office and business of state senate uh Senator Luis Lucas yesterday. A source familiar with this matter tells us that the search is connected to a longunning public corruption investigation that dates back to the Biden era. Now, investigators did not arrest or charge Lucas with any crime. The agency really hasn't revealed much about the raid or what, if anything, was found in connection to their investigation, but this morning, reaction is pouring in about whether the move is in retaliation for her work on Virginia's redistricting effort or for her criticism of President Trump.

[00:00:41]>> And Lucas is not the only Democrat under the DOJ's microscope right now. Federal officials also announced that they're investigating Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Disano. The agency is looking into his charging decisions and quote sweetheart deals.

[00:00:56]>> It comes just a week after former FBI director James Comey, another Trump critic, was indicted for a second time.

[00:01:04]News4's Megan McGrath, she joins us live from the FBI headquarters in Northwest.

[00:01:09]>> Yeah, Megan, a lot of fastmoving developments this morning. What can you tell us about this investigation into Senator Lucas specifically?

[00:01:19]>> Well, good morning. Yeah, this is uh something that began with a a search of her Portsmith office yesterday uh searched by the FBI. And uh take a look at the video. You can kind of see what that search looked like. Now, a source tells NBC News that it's related to a corruption investigation that dates back to the Biden administration. The FBI also searched a business that Senator Lucas co-owns. Uh that business is called the Cannabis Outlet. Now, Senator Lucas has not been arrested or charged with any crime. Democratic leaders and Lucas herself are questioning the motivation and timing behind the FBI action. Senator Lucas, of course, is a powerful top ranking Democrat in the state of Virginia. She is an outspoken critic of President Trump and was a key player in the move to redraw congressional maps in Virginia, something that would favor Democrats.

[00:02:10]Now, in a statement, Senator Lucas says the searches are quote are about more than one state senator. They are about power and who will be allow and who is allowed to use it on behalf of the people. What we saw fits a clear pattern from this administration. When challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them.

[00:02:30]I am not backing down. Now, we asked Howard University law professor professor Lucius Outlaw what's next for Senator Lucas and federal prosecutors.

[00:02:42]>> Well, she'll have to lawyer up, that's for sure. But really, the next step is figuring out what is the DOJ's next step. Are is there a grand jury that's investigating that's going to bring charges against Senator Lucas?

[00:02:58]Now, the FBI and the Department of Justice, they are not discussing this investigation or uh giving any detail about what exactly they were looking for in these searches that were carried out yesterday. I also want to stress that Senator Lucas has not been arrested or charged with any crime. Back to you.

[00:03:16]>> Okay, Megan McGrath reporting live from the FBI headquarters. Megan, thank you.

[00:03:20]Thanks, Megan.