FBI searches office of Virginia lawmaker who was key in redistricting effort

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The FBI connected Wednesday searched the bureau of longtime Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas successful Portsmouth, Virginia, a bureau spokesperson told CBS News.

Lucas was a cardinal fig successful pushing a new legislature map done Virginia's legislature that adds 4 Democratic-leaning seats. The map was approved successful a ballot referendum successful April but is presently connected clasp portion the Virginia Supreme Court considers the legality of the caller map.

In a statement, the FBI spokesperson said that the probe is ongoing and added determination was nary menace to nationalist safety.

A cannabis dispensary co-owned by Lucas was besides being searched by national instrumentality enforcement officials, the spokesperson confirmed.

It's unclear what the probe is specifically focused connected oregon what the court-authorized instrumentality enforcement enactment is related to.

Democratic Virginia authorities Sen. L. Louise Lucas addresses the Senate level March 9, 2024, astatine the Virginia State Capitol successful Richmond.

The instrumentality enforcement enactment was archetypal reported by Fox News. Lucas told Fox News that she had nary thought what the FBI agents were doing astatine her office.

Lucas did not reply aggregate attempts from CBS News to scope her, and her bureau did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Lucas, 82, was archetypal elected to the Virginia General Assembly successful 1991, and is presently the Senate president pro tempore. As she helped usher guardant the Democratic redistricting program earlier this year, she undertook a nationalist relation connected societal media taunting Republicans, President Trump and adjacent the Democratic U.S. senators from her state.

"You each started it and we f***ing finished it," she posted connected societal media aft the measurement passed, referring to Mr. Trump's push to redraw Texas' legislature map that kicked disconnected the redistricting battle betwixt the 2 parties.

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