FBI searches office of Virginia lawmaker who helped lead redistricting effort

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

Lucas was a key figure in pushing a new congressional map through Virginia’s legislature that adds four Democratic-leaning seats. The map was approved in a ballot referendum in April but is currently on hold while the Virginia Supreme Court considers the legality of the new map.

In a statement, the FBI spokesperson said that the investigation is ongoing and added there was no threat to public safety.

A cannabis dispensary co-owned by Lucas was also being searched by federal law enforcement officials, the spokesperson confirmed.

It’s unclear what the investigation is specifically focused on or what the court-authorized law enforcement activity is related to.

The law enforcement activity was first reported by Fox News. Lucas told Fox News that she had no idea what the FBI agents were doing at her office.

Lucas did not answer multiple attempts from CBS News to reach her, and her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lucas, 82, was first elected to the Virginia General Assembly in 1991, and is currently the Senate president pro tempore. As she helped usher forward the Democratic redistricting plan earlier this year, she undertook a public role on social media taunting Republicans, President Trump and even the Democratic U.S. senators from her state.

“You all started it and we f***ing finished it,” she posted on social media after the measure passed, referring to Mr. Trump’s push to redraw Texas’ congressional map that kicked off the redistricting battle between the two parties.