Raid On Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas Is Part Of Trump’s Attack On Democracy 

The FBI’s raid on Virginia State Senate President Louise Lucas’ office and her personal business highlights the connection between Donald Trump’s attack on high-profile Black women leaders and escalating threats against our democracy and elections. Lucas has been an outspoken critic, directly challenging the Trump administration and the president himself, and was a major backer of Virginia’s redistricting effort. 

It’s true: Lucas joins the sisterhood alongside New York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook, both of whom were targeted in fraudulent claims by the current administration. But all of these women have stood their ground in the face of Trump’s fascist fever dream, slashing and burning its way through the country. 

The Virginia raid comes just weeks after the Democrat-led state voted in favor of mid-decade redistricting to right-size the political landscape after racist gerrymanders in states like Texas and North Carolina. Louisiana v. Callais sparked a redistricting arms race among the states, with Republicans seeking any unfair advantage they could. 

While reports indicate the investigation into Lucas involved “corruption,” the timing is a clear telltale sign of someone desperately trying to hold onto power by any means necessary. 

It sounds really flimsy and suspiciously similar to other politically motivated charges brought by the Trump administration. But Trump also loves accusing his political opponents of what he himself does.

At this point, it should be clear that there are no genuine issues or concerns about fairness or the rule of law. Trump and his cronies just want to subdue and punish anyone seen as standing in their way of total domination. 

It’s like that gaslighting ex that swore you were cheating, but had a wife and another girlfriend the whole time.

As I wrote last month, Trump is in open rebellion against the country. Trump has threatened voters, our system of elections, and elected officials. He’s threatened entire industries, including academia, social justice groups, media, and Big Law. 

Today’s news shouldn’t be just another entry in the outrage file. It’s a reminder of how far these people are willing to go in their crackdown on dissent and in support of this regime’s ongoing abuse of power and corruption. 

With breaking news and daily attacks dropping, we have to hold each of these stories in the balance as we move from one item to the next. In addition to going after Lucas, this administration ramped up its attack on civically engaged people in Fulton County, Georgia, by demanding a list of poll workers during the 2020 election. 

Many of you know the story of Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, two Black women poll workers attacked by Trump’s followers after they were tossed out to the MAGA mob as red meat for the election lie machine. Trump continued to harass Freeman even after she and Moss won a major financial victory against Rudy Giuliani. 

Like Freeman and Moss, the other pollworkers are everyday citizens who, in the middle of a global pandemic and amid election chaos from the sitting president, stood up to support their neighbors and communities. Election workers are at the frontline of democracy, and without them, we do not have elections. 

Targeting these people who show up and do a thankless job is trash. But it’s about making people afraid, and understaffed elections and issues make it more difficult for our votes to count or be counted. 

It’s been nearly four months since the FBI orchestrated a fabricated investigation to steal ballots and property from the Fulton County Board of Elections that it couldn’t get access to through the regular civil litigation process. All of the allegations involved turn on the same previously debunked information and lies. 

He’s wasting our tax dollars to punish people for just showing up and trying to do a good job. This isn’t about enforcing the rules or fundamental fairness. 

It’s important to pay attention and also lock in now. We cannot afford to sit this out and wait until the election in six months, or until a new Congress in eight months or more, to fix things. 

Now’s the time to stretch a little beyond your comfort zone and step out there. I’m not saying do anything that will put you in harm’s way; please use your own judgment. But we must speak up, share information about what’s going on, and help our families and communities navigate in the meantime. 

We also have to stop giving people passes for being the “good ones” or the “nice ones.” The rise of the old Confederacy wouldn’t have been possible without white liberals and moderates at avious points in history wanting their comfort over justice. 

The current regime and its acolytes across business and politics may have a splash of color compared to decades past. But we’re still facing the same issues, just on a different day and in a different year. 

And stop praising people for doing the bare minimum.

Weigh their alleged claims of being Never Trump (that one time they didn’t want to go to jail) against a record of being on the wrong side of our issues. Anyone doing the political version of I have a Black friend—aka throwing around prominent Black names as a sign of their politics—don’t trust them. 

White supremacy is a plague on both houses. It’s going to take everyone down if we don’t stop it in its tracks. You don’t have to wonder what you would’ve done before, because we’re living a remix of those times right now. 

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