By Shirleen Guerra
(The Center Square) – Federal agents executed court-authorized search warrants Wednesday at properties in Portsmouth tied to Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, according to the FBI.
In a statement, the FBI Richmond Field Office confirmed it was conducting “court-authorized federal search warrant” activity in Portsmouth and said there was no threat to public safety. Lucas is a close ally of Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
The FBI said the investigation remains ongoing and that no additional information was publicly available Wednesday afternoon.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, Lucas wrote in part, “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. 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.”
She alluded to the still-litigated and controversial constitutional amendment vote that, if allowed to go through, could give Virginia 10 Democrats and just one Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms. Today, the split is 6-5 Democrats, a ratio closer in line to the statewide presidential election results of 2024.
“I am not backing down, and I will keep fighting for the people of Portsmouth and the commonwealth of Virginia,” she said.
Television footage and photos posted online showed federal agents and law enforcement vehicles outside locations associated with Lucas, including her legislative office and a nearby cannabis business in Portsmouth.
Other outlets reported multiple people were detained during the searches, though federal officials had not publicly confirmed arrests or filed charges as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from Lucas.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott defended Lucas in a statement and urged caution as details of the investigation remained limited.
“While we await the full facts of the investigation, it must be acknowledged that this FBI raid occurs in the broader context of President Trump’s repeated abuse of the Department of Justice to target his perceived political opponents,” Scott said.
Scott also said Lucas “has a right to due process and a presumption of innocence.”
Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones also released a statement Wednesday, saying the public does not yet have enough information about the investigation.
“We simply do not have sufficient information about the reported FBI activity in Portsmouth,” Jones said. “However, several previous actions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia have undermined public confidence in that office.”
Jones referenced past investigations involving former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James and urged the public to “exercise restraint in judgment until the relevant facts are known in this matter.”
Lucas, a Portsmouth Democrat, has served in the state Senate since 1992 and serves as president pro tempore and chairwoman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
She has also been involved in debates surrounding Virginia’s cannabis laws and coowns a cannabis-related business in Portsmouth.
A 2022 investigation by the Virginia Mercury reported that some products sold at the business contained THC levels that did not match product labeling during a period when retail marijuana sales remained illegal in Virginia.
As of Wednesday afternoon, federal officials had not publicly said what specifically prompted the searches or whether the investigation was tied to Lucas’ cannabis business, legislative work or another matter.
