White powder sent to Manhattan lawyer who insulted Spanish speakers

A lawyer who was filmed berating employees of a New York City eatery for speaking Spanish received a letter with suspicious white powder, police said.

Aaron Schlossberg and another person were exposed to the unknown substance at the lawyer’s office in Midtown Manhattan at about 4 p.m. Thursday. Police said the two were being evaluated, NBC reported, citing police sources. Police were testing the substance to see if it was noxious.

Last week, Schlossberg became incensed at hearing workers speak Spanish in a Manhattan restaurant. In the rant caught on video and reported on national news outlets, he threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement to have the workers kicked out of the country.

Critics hired a mariachi band to play outside his apartment and demanded he be disbarred.

Schlossberg, who is Jewish, later apologized for the incident, saying it was “unacceptable.”

Schlossberg wrote on Twitter that he is “not racist.”

“To the people I insulted, I apologize,” he said. “Seeing myself online opened my eyes — the manner in which I expressed myself is unacceptable and is not the person I am. I see my words and actions hurt people, and for that I am deeply sorry.”

“I am not racist,” he continued. “One of the reasons I moved to New York is precisely because of the remarkable diversity offered in this wonderful city. I love this country and this city, in part because of immigrants and the diversity of cultures immigrants bring to this country.”