Follow us on: Facebook – Twitter – Youtube – Instagram
State Senator Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) and Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) continue to spar over comments made in the past. Lucas has accused Miyares of trying to personally sneak into her marijuana business and see if she is breaking the law.
“Jason Miyares ran for AG as a moderate but he has turned out to be a mini-Trump with somehow even less brains,” Lucas tweeted on Friday. “Last year during his campaign he showed up at my Cannabis Outlet store in disguise to try to find something we were doing wrong. Only problem with his plan was I was here that day and recognized him immediately.”
Lucas has provided no proof that this actually happened.
Lucas then continued: “When he came to speak to the Senate Democratic Caucus during session I brought this up and he ran from the room and then had a staffer tweet I was mistaken.”
Back in March when Lucas first accused Miyares of sneaking into her store, a source with knowledge of the situation told Virginia Scope that Miyares and Lucas ran into each other at the Capitol on Jan. 25 and she told the attorney general she saw him inside one of her marijuana dispensaries.
The attorney general’s chief of staff was present with him at the time of the caucus meeting and responded in March to Lucas’ original accusations. “Spoiler Alert: I was with the AG on Jan. 25 when he visited your Caucus mtg at the Capitol,” OAG Chief of Staff D.J. Jordan tweeted. “You told him that you saw him in your cannabis shop in Portsmouth. AG Miyares responded that he has never visited your store. You may be mixing him up with a different Hispanic man.”
Miyares responded to Lucas’ latest comments Friday. “Shouldn’t you be more concerned by the fact that your pot shop sells THC products that are marketed to kids?” Miyares also shared this link to a Virginia Mercury article that highlights marijuana shops, like the one Lucas owns, who are illegally selling THC products.
Lucas then responded to Miyares. “You should know from when you came in here incognito there is a sign on the door that no one can enter who is under 21 years old and we do not sell or market any products to minors. You know better but would rather lie than make serious policy.”
Miyares then asked Lucas to provide proof that he was ever actually present in her store. “I’ve never been to your shop. Prove it… or stop lying about me,” he said.
At least in the public, the conversation ended at this point — for now.
Virginia Scope is an independent news publication that is funded largely by donations and subscribers. As local newsrooms are losing writers each day, we are trying to fill the void to ensure that the public is informed and that leaders are held accountable for their actions. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or making a donation through Paypal below so we can continue to work in Virginia.