The FBI searched the Virginia state Senate leader’s office on Wednesday as part of a corruption investigation, a person familiar with the matter said.
The search at Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas’s district office in Portsmouth comes after the Democrat helped lead the state’s recent redistricting effort.
The FBI said only that it was conducting a court-authorized search warrant in Portsmouth. The person who confirmed the FBI’s search was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
A message seeking comment was left on a cellphone for Lucas.
Amid a national, state-by-state partisan redistricting fight, Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment on April 21 authorizing new U.S. House districts. Backed by Democrats, the plan could help the party win up to four additional seats.
Lucas has been a vocal leader of the effort.
The state Supreme Court let the referendum proceed but has yet to rule whether the effort is legal. The court is considering an appeal of a lower court judge’s ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated procedural requirements.
Associated Press writer Dylan Lovan contributed from Louisville, Ky.
