Virginia politics was thrown into a whirlwind on Wednesday when the F.B.I. raided the office of Sen. Louise Lucas in Portsmouth.
As of right now, there is no information as to what federal law enforcement is investigating.
The New York Times, citing two unnamed sources, reported that an investigation into Lucas began during the Biden administration.
This rumor — that a prominent state legislator was under federal investigation — first circulated at the end of 2025, but Virginia Scope was never able to confirm anything.
Acting United States Attorney General Todd Blanche said the raid is part of an ongoing criminal investigation and said it would not be fair to anyone to provide more details right now.
“There are times when an investigation goes overt, and you execute search warrants; that’s what happened today,” Blanche said.
According to Ben Tribbett, a longtime advisor to Lucas, the senator was home by midday Wednesday. Tribbett also told the Washington Post that Lucas’ private business offices were raided, not her legislative office.
Lucas released a public statement on Wednesday night, saying: “Today’s actions by Federal agents are about far more than one state senator; they are about power and who is allowed to use it on behalf of the people,” she wrote. “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.”
Lucas was virtually present for the Joint Commission on Healthcare on Thursday morning.
Sources tell Virginia Scope that Lucas was in good spirits on Wednesday night.
Reaction to the raid:
Gov. Abigail Spanberger:
“The Governor is aware of today’s law enforcement operation in Portsmouth. In the absence of additional details, the Governor will not be commenting on a federal investigation at this time.”
Speaker of the House Don Scott:
“Lets start with this: Senator L. Louise Lucas has not been charged with anything! I am deeply concerned by today’s FBI raid. 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.
“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.
“It also raises important questions. How was Fox News, a national media outlet, first on the scene? Did they know about the raid beforehand? If so, who approved that? And what more information is there about what this raid was actually about? Virginians deserve answers before anyone rushes to political conclusions.”
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell:
“Senator L. Louise Lucas is an outspoken and historic figure in Virginia politics and has not been charged with a single crime. President Trump has made clear that he intends to target the Commonwealth of Virginia for voting against him in 2024 and has already obliterated the Department of Justice’s historical independence to attack our state and his enemies as demonstrated by the legal war against the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and prosecutions against Leticia James, James Comey and sandwich throwers.
“The firing of Todd Gilbert and replacement with an unqualified U.S. Attorney like Lindsay Halligan should have been a a warning sign. Now that the judges removed her and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has been purged of its career staff, every Virginian should be very worried about the rule of law and how it will be applied in this Country and our Commonwealth.”
Attorney General Jay Jones:
“We simply do not have sufficient information about the reported FBI activity in Portsmouth. However, several previous actions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia have undermined public confidence in that office. These include the failed prosecutions against President Trump’s stated political enemies, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James that were both dismissed by a judge well before trial. I urge everyone to exercise restraint in judgment until the relevant facts are known in this matter.”
