Driving the news: The FBI sent a second round of letters notifying people that their calls with Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas were recorded. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat running for reelection in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, confirmed his office received both letters.
By the numbers: - First surveillance window: March 6 – April 5 - Second window: April 14 – May 14 - Letters arrived roughly three months after each period ended - Both letters state 'all original recordings were sealed' by court order
The big picture: Federal agents obtained at least two separate authorizations from a U.S. district court judge to surveil Lucas' calls. The FBI raided her Portsmouth office on May 6 as part of a corruption investigation that began under the Biden administration. No charges have been filed.
Between the lines: Subramanyam's office told The Daily Signal it is 'not sure if the monitoring is still ongoing.' The FBI declined to comment on whether a third surveillance period exists or is planned.
Reality check: Earlier this year, Senate Republicans — including Sen. Ted Cruz — raised alarms over FBI collection of telephone toll data tied to Jan. 6. This Lucas investigation goes further: agents recorded actual call content involving at least one sitting member of Congress.
The bottom line: Court-authorized or not, the FBI preserving recorded calls between a state senator and a sitting congressman is a serious escalation. The bureau's silence on scope, intent and next steps leaves lawmakers — and voters — in the dark about how far this probe reaches.