<![CDATA[Abigail Spanberger]]><![CDATA[FBI]]><![CDATA[Redistricting]]><![CDATA[Virginia]]>Featured

FBI Raids Office of VA Legislative Leader Behind Redistricting Referendum – HotAir

Eight days ago, Louise Lucas giddily and “ruthlessly” trolled Republicans over the success of Virginia’s redistricting referendum. Today, the woman who began promoting T-shirts with the message “TEN F****N’ ONE” may need to focus more on getting legal representation. The FBI raided Lucas’ office and nearly a dozen other locations, apparently in a corruption probe that resulted in judicially approved search warrants:





Federal agents are conducting a raid at the office of L. Louise Lucas, a Democrat who serves as Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore.

The FBI is serving multiple search warrants at the office in Portsmouth, Virginia, approved by a federal judge.

Sources say the warrants are tied to a major corruption investigation.

Agents are also searching a cannabis dispensary located next door to Lucas’ office.

According to the video report above, the investigation came as a complete surprise to Lucas. One has to wonder whether it comes as a surprise to Gov. Abigail Spanberger, too. 

It shouldn’t. Reports about Lucas’ alleged ethical irregularities began to emerge last fall:

Virginia Senate President pro tempore Louise Lucas (D), a woman helping lead the charge to redraw the commonwealth’s congressional maps to favor Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, has used her donors’ cash to: bankroll her family business, fund her daughter’s political career, cut checks to churches who support her party, pay for casino events, support organizations where she is a member, and to cover tabs at restaurants dealing in steak and seafood.

Lucas brags that her redistricting effort, if successful, could result in the Old Dominion state having a congressional delegation of 10 Democrats and one Republican, costing the GOP four seats and possibly control of the entire House of Representatives. The Virginia lawmaker is no stranger to campaign finance controversy, as her approval for a casino project after receiving a $100,000 donation from the company proposing it drew scrutiny from the press in 2024. …

One of the churches to receive the most cash from Lucas’s campaign treasury is New Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Portsmouth, where Lucas herself serves as a deaconess. 

Lucas’s campaign has transferred $13,390 to the historically black Baptist church since 2021, according to public records. Milton Blount, who served as the church’s head pastor until his death in January, endorsed Lucas’s daughter, Lisa Lucas-Burke, for Portsmouth mayor in 2024, encouraged his followers to support the Democratic Party, and was involved in liberal politics. Cardell Patillo, who took over as the church’s top pastor following Blount’s passing, hosted Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger at a campaign event in August.





If the FBI got enough evidence for search warrants, that indicates they may have more than just coincidences. Do they have the kind of quid pro quo necessary to support bribery charges in these allegations, or have they discovered different crimes that Lucas may have committed? The inclusion of the cannabis shop next door is curious indeed. 

What makes this even more compelling is Lucas’ key role in pushing the referedum through the legislature that changed Virginia’s congressional map from 6-5 Democrat to potentially 10-1. The state supreme court has stayed the election count while it considers challenges on a number of irregularities, but that didn’t stop Lucas from promoting her role in getting it passed:

Her viral moment was sparked by a celebratory video she posted on X, writing “THANK YOU VIRGINIA!” alongside a montage of herself dancing. The clip is set to “Mama Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J, and opens with audio of President Donald Trump warning, “If we lose these elections… it’s gonna be a disaster.”

But the attention the longtime lawmaker garnered last week isn’t slowing down. Lucas has continued posting in the days since, leaning into the victory with a mix of political messaging and humor, including promoting T-shirts reading “Ten F**kin’ One,” a reference to the proposed 10–1 Democratic advantage under the new map. She shared Monday that more than 100 shirts had been ordered, raising over $5,000 to support Virginia Senate Democrats.





Lucas may go from bragging about “TEN F***N’ ONE” to worrying about one-to-ten … in Club Fed. 

Stay tuned for updates, if warranted. We’ve been waiting the last couple of days for the Virginia state supreme court to issue a decision on the referendum; the deadline for certifying the vote was yesterday, but the stay probably extends that. If we get a decision on that case, we’ll have a separate post to outline it. 


Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about corrupt politicians. 

Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.





Source link

Related Posts

1 of 2,558