Police investigators in Portland, Oregon are taking another looks at sexual assault allegations that were leveled against Al Gore in October 2006 by 54-year-old massage therapist Molly Hagerty. The alleged “unwanted sexual contact” occurred during a three-hour massage session at a luxury hotel nearly four years ago.
No charges have been filed against the former VP, but police are taking a second look at a case. According to Multnomah County DA Michael Schrunk, the masseuse initially refused to be interviewed by detectives, canceling several 2006 police interviews, and leading Portland authorities to believe that she did not want the investigation to proceed. She has since had a change of heart.
In January 2009 she provided a statement to Portland police detectives indicating that Gore tried to have sex with her during an appointment at the upscale downtown Hotel Lucia, where he was registered as “Mr. Stone”. The alleged attack, where he pinned her to the bed, took place on October 24, 2006, while he was in the city to deliver a speech on climate change.
She claims he became “insistent”, and “verbally sharp and loud” when she refused his advances as he repeatedly tried to grope her and cajole her into sex. According to Hagerty, “Al Gore is a pervert and sexual predator. He’s not what people think he is. He’s a sick man.”
As to why she waited so long to come forward: “I did not immediately call the police as I feared being made into a public spectacle and my reputation being destroyed. I was not sure what to tell them and was concerned my story would not be believed since there was no DNA evidence from a completed act of rape. I did not even know what to call what had happened to me.”
She reports that she took her story to the National Enquirer to get the story into the media with the hope that Portland police investigators would give her claim a second look. According to NE executive editor Barry Levine, the tabloid did not pay Hagerty for the story, though it has been widely reported that she was seeking $1 million.
Gore family spokeperson Kalee Kreider issued the following statement: “Further investigation into this matter will only benefit Mr. Gore. The Gores cannot comment on every defamatory, misleading and inaccurate story generated by tabloids. Mr. Gore unequivocally and emphatically denied this accusation when he first learned of its existence three years ago. He stands by the denial.”
It has been a rough month for the Gore family. Al and Tipper Gore announced plans to divorce, and reports of an alleged extramarital affair surfaced. Topping it off was the report that the Gore’s daughter Karenna Gore Shiff and her doctor husband have also split.
More on the story in the NBC video report below: