t he l i v i n g s t o n ENTERPRISEFriday, October 18, 2019 s,IVINGSTON -ONTANAs6OL112 .O214 $1.00 IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY White House: Ukraine aid held up partly over election probe WASHINGTON (AP) — He indicated that a quid The White House acknowl- pro quo was at play for the edged that President Donald military aid — but a differ- Trump’s decision to hold up ent one than Democrats ini- military aid to Ukraine was tially highlighted as they linked to his demand that probed Trump’s efforts to Kyiv investigate the Demo- have Ukraine investigate a cratic National Committee company linked to the son of and the 2016 U.S. presiden- his Democratic rival Joe tial campaign, a shifting new Biden. explanation about events at Trump, as shown in a the heart of the impeach- rough transcript of the July ment inquiry. call with Ukraine President Enterprise photo by Nate Howard L’esprit staff, Chief Operating Officer Maria Mulvaugh, left, and Chief Executive Officer Chantelle Plauché are pictured Fri- day morning outside of Park High School, where they will be helping students with mental health issues. AP White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney announces that the G7 will be held at Trump National Doral, Thursday in CRISIS RESPONSE Washington. The admission from acting Volodymyr Zelenskiy, chief of staff Mick Mul- sought help in investigating State grant dollars help create locally operated vaney on Thursday undercut not only the firm tied to the president’s position that Biden but also a security there was no quid pro quo company hired by the DNC mental health services for Park County students during Trump’s phone call that discovered that Russian with the Ukraine president agents had broken into the By Nolan Lister importance of good school and should the situation call for it. that sparked the House committee’s network. The Enterprise Staff Writer community partnerships,” Wester Upon receiving permission from a investigation. stolen emails were subse- said. “This provides services we parent, a L’esprit “mobile team of The sudden turn of events quently published by ocal state-licensed mental can’t provide within the state fund- crisis professionals” will respond had immediate fallout. WikiLeaks ahead of the 2016 health center L’esprit is set ing formula.” to the location of the crisis, be it a Trump’s lawyer distanced election. to provide a mental health school, home or other community the Republican president “The look back to what crises response team as setting. from Mulvaney’s account. happened in 2016 certainly Lwell as early intervention and pre- “We are helping our Once on the scene, licensed clini- The Justice Department said was part of the thing that he ventative care for Park County stu- community get cians will work to assess and stabi- the explanation was news to was worried about in cor- dents dealing with mental health lize the children who pose a risk of them. And Democrats cast ruption with that nation,” and substance abuse issues, thanks healthier by providing harm to themselves or others. The Mulvaney’s remarks as fur- Mulvaney told reporters, to a block grant through Montana’s crisis professionals will also coor- ther evidence of wrongdoing delivering the White House’s Department of Public Health and these services.” dinate next-day appointments, in- as Trump sought a “favor” most granular explanation Human Services. home support services, including from Ukraine. yet of the decision to with- – Chantelle Plauché, The program, which goes into parent education and connection Trump, traveling in Texas, hold military assistance. effect this academic year, received L’esprit CEO with long-term services, according appeared to stand by his top “Did he also mention to me about $30,000 from the DPHHS to L’esprit. aide, calling Mulvaney a in the past the corruption Addictive and Mental Disorder Additionally, L’esprit will be on- “good man.” that related to the DNC Division. The grant is large Wester said the district has nei- site at schools throughout the “I have a lot of confi- server? Absolutely, no ques- enough to fund the program for ther the training nor the funding to county, offering prevention and dence” in him, Trump said. tion about that,” Mulvaney one year, according to L’esprit provide mental health services. early intervention services, such But Mulvaney’s initial continued. “That’s why we CEO Chantelle Plauché. He said that although the “inter- as life skills training at the ele- remarks, made during a rare held up the money.” Todd Wester, the director of the nal process maps” have yet to be mentary level designed to boost appearance by an adminis- Trump’s personal lawyer Livingston School District’s drawn up, the program will likely self-esteem, develop healthy atti- tration official in the White Jay Sekulow issued a point- School-based Mental and Behav- involve an individual addressing tudes and improve knowledge of House briefing room, spun ed statement distancing the ioral Health, called the new pro- concerns about a student with open a new phase of the president’s legal team from gram “a pure gift to the schools.” administration. An administrator impeachment inquiry. Mulvaney’s comments. “This is an example of the can elect to reach out to L’esprit See Crisis response, Page 3 SYRIA Lawsuit seeks to Cease-fire is off to rocky start block Montana CEYLANPINAR, Turkey (AP) The cease-fire agreement — — The cease-fire in northern reached in negotiations ban on flavored Syria got off to a rocky start between Erdogan and U.S. Vice Friday, as Kurdish leaders President Mike Pence — accused Turkey of violating the requires the Kurdish fighters to e-cigarettes accord with continued fighting vacate a swath of territory in at a key border town while cast- Syria along the Turkish border. HAMILTON (AP) — Three Montana vape ing doubt on provisions in the That effectively means the shops and an industry group are suing to block a U.S.-brokered deal with Ankara. Kurds would grant Turkey its temporary ban on the sale of flavored electronic Turkey’s president warned goals in the offensive and con- cigarettes from going into effect statewide next that Turkish forces would go secrate its control of territory it week. back on the attack in four days captured. The lawsuit filed Thursday in state court in unless Kurdish-led fighters Criticism mounted for a deal Ravalli County says the 120-day ban on e-ciga- withdraw “without exception” that President Donald Trump rettes is an overly restrictive reaction to a from a zone 20 miles deep in called “a great day for civiliza- national outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and Syria running the entire 260- tion.” deaths the plaintiffs say may be caused by ille- mile length of the border. EU Council President Donald gal black-market products. “Without exception, if the Tusk said it was “not a cease- The plaintiffs are asking a judge for an injunc- promise is not fulfilled, Opera- fire, it is a demand for the tion that would block the ban from taking effect tion Peace Spring will resume capitulation of the Kurds” and AP on Tuesday. They said state officials failed to the minute the 120 hours end called on Turkey to immediate- Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters deploy near the town provide adequate public notice and acted arbi- with even more determination,” ly halt its operation in northeast of Ras al-Ayn, Syria on Friday. trarily and capriciously by not including tobacco President Recep Tayyip Erdo- Syria. French President cigarettes in the ban. gan told journalists in Ankara. Emmanuel Macron called the The Syrian government the town. Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, has said the There was no sign of any pull- Turkish operation “madness.” deployment, although not com- The Britain-based Syrian emergency rules that establish the ban are nec- out by the Kurdish-led forces. The U.S. pullout from north- plete, puts Russia as the ulti- Observatory for Human Rights essary while officials investigate the cause of They say the deal only covers a eastern Syria has positioned mate arbiter of the arrange- and the Rojava Information the vaping-related pulmonary illnesses that have much smaller section of the Russia as the main power bro- ments along much of the Syri- Center said fighting continued affected more than 1,300 people nationwide, border, about 125 kilometers ker. an-Turkish border. into the afternoon as Turkish- including at least two cases and one death in (75 miles) and haven’t commit- Erdogan is to meet Russian The border town of Ras al- backed Syrian fighters clashed Montana. ted to pull out from anywhere. President Vladimir Putin in Ayn was emerging as an imme- with Kurdish forces in villages The Ravalli Republic reports the lawsuit by Some fighters have vowed not Sochi, Russia, on Tuesday, the diate test of whether the halt in on the outskirts of Ras al-Ayn. the Montana Smoke Free Association, Freedom to withdraw, calling the accord day the halt in fighting runs out. violence can take hold. Before The Kurdish-led force said five Vapes, Liberty Smoke and UBlaze vapor said the an “insult to Kurdish dignity” After being abandoned by the the deal’s announcement, Turk- of its fighters were killed and a ban could force more than 20 Montana business- and tantamount to a surrender Americans, the Kurds agreed ish-backed forces had encircled number of civilians wounded in es to close. arranged by the U.S., the for- with Moscow to allow Syrian the town and were battling a strike on one of the villages.