(UnitedVoice.com) – Democrat Sheng Thao won the Oakland, California, mayoral race in November 2022. She beat her opponent by just 677 votes. Less than two years later, she appears to be embroiled in legal troubles. Now, she is lashing out at the FBI.
On June 20, FBI agents raided Thao’s home at 5:30 a.m. local time. The federal law enforcement authorities were on her property for hours as they searched for evidence. At approximately 10 a.m., agents removed dozens of boxes from her home.
The FBI refused to issue a statement about the raid, other than to confirm it was happening. It’s not clear what they are searching for or what she is accused of doing. On the same day of the raid, agents also served warrants at offices occupied by the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) and California Waste Solutions and also at a nearby home.
A defiant Thao spoke out after the raid and said she was innocent of any wrongdoing. CBS News reported that she said she wanted “to be crystal clear. I have done nothing wrong.” She claimed the FBI raid on her home had nothing to do with her.
Thao also demanded to know what probable cause the FBI had and wanted to know what “evidence they collected” that justified the raid on “the home of a sitting mayor without notice or without the courtesy of a conversation.” The Democrat continued her rant, blaming billionaires in other cities who allegedly want to run her out of office.
The mayor is currently facing a recall election just 18 months into her first term. The New York Times reported that she was in a position to beat the recall efforts prior to the Justice Department’s search warrant but now she’s fighting for her political survival.
Brenda Harbin-Forte, one of the recall organizers, explained that everyone knows the mayor wasn’t charged with a crime but it’s a distraction. The retired judge explained that Thao can’t lead the city if she’s worried about when or if authorities are going to indict her.
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