Congressional staff opened letters with suspicious substances in district offices, The New York Times reports

Staff opened mail with suspicious substances in the Milwaukee district office of Gwen Moore (Rep-D Wisconsin) and the Grand Rapids office of Hillary Scholten (Rep-D Michigan), the Times reported Friday, Oct. 16. Moore said her staff used proper protocols and the office will stop sorting mail on site; Scholten described an "unidentified white powder." Senate and elections officials told the Times the letters have so far tested negative for hazardous substances. NBC News, via Latin Times, reported that confirmatory testing was still under way. The FBI, Postal Inspection Service and Capitol Police are investigating, and the FBI has named no suspects. Separately, a Louisiana election employee who opened a letter on Tuesday, Oct. 13 went to the emergency room as a precaution and was not injured, NPR reported Oct. 15.