Al Gore Cleared in Sexual Assault Case by Portland District Attorney

July 30, 2010 — -- Former Vice President Al Gore did not commit acts of sexual harassment "appropriate for criminal prosecution," according to office of the district attorney of Portland, Oregon, which has been investigating allegations that Gore made unwanted advances to a masseuse at a Portland hotel in 2006.

An Oregon woman, Molly Hagerty, claimed that Gore propositioned her and tried to hug her when she came to his hotel room to give him a massage.

But Senior Deputy District Attorney Don Rees, in a memo to the D.A., Michael D. Schrunk, wrote that Hagerty gave no indication afterwards that she was upset, as she later claimed.

Rees noted that Hagerty sold her story to the National Enquirer, failed a polygraph test, thanked the hotel management two days after the alleged incident for sending business her way and "has not provided as repeatedly requested medical records she claims are related to the case."

Rees concludes, "This case is not appropriate for criminal prosecution. The matter is closed and the investigative materials will be returned to PPB [the Portland Police Bureau]."

Gore's spokeswoman, Kalee Kreider, issued a statement: "Mr. Gore unequivocally and emphatically denied this accusation when he first learned of its existence three years ago. He respects and appreciates the thorough and professional work of the Portland authorities and is pleased that this matter has now been resolved."

According to a 73-page "Confidential Special Report" made public by authorities on June 23, Hagerty, the "licensed massage therapist" who was not named at the time, said she was summoned to a suite at the upscale Lucia Hotel at the request of a guest, where "during the course of this massage session Al Gore did sexually assault me in his room."

In a detailed statement given to police more than two years after the alleged incident, the woman described her surprise at arriving for the massage appointment to find Gore drinking beer and opening his arms in a hug, saying, "Call Me Al."

Al Gore Assault Case: 'Matter is Closed,' Says D.A.

But she said Gore later turned "angry and threatening" when she resisted his efforts to force her hand to his inner thigh and lower abdominal area during the massage and then attempted to rip her clothes as she struggled against him, she told police.

Gore "flipped me flat on my back and threw his whole body face down over atop me pinning me down and outweighing me by quite a bit," injuring her back and legs, she claimed.

"He kept trying to have sex with me," said the woman, who described the situation as "frightening."

According to the report, the woman said Gore booked the appointment using the pseudonym "Mr. Stone."

In a statement accompanying the report, Portland Police said that after initially refusing to cooperate in early 2007, the masseuse returned in 2009, finally offering to be interviewed by investigators, bringing a prepared statement and the clothes she said she had worn that night as evidence.