New York: Former US Vice President and
Nobel laureate Al Gore has been cleared of accusations that he
sexually assaulted a massage therapist in a luxury Portland
hotel room in 2006.
After conducting a month-long investigation, Multnomah
County District Attorney Michael Schrunk said yesterday that
there was no basis for prosecution.
The American media had reported that the accuser Molly
Hagerty, who had alleged that 62-year-old Gore had groped and
assaulted her while she gave him a massage, failed a polygraph
examination.
She was reportedly paid by the `National Enquirer`, which
broke the story about the alleged incident.
Further, workers questioned in the case have provided
conflicting accounts of the incident.
Police said that Hagerty had actually thanked the
Portland hotel management two days after the alleged incident
for the job.
Further, she had not "provided as repeatedly requested
medical records she claims are related to the case."
"Mr Gore unequivocally and emphatically denied this
accusation when he first learned of its existence three years
ago," Kalee Kreider, the Gore family spokeswoman, said in a
statement.
"He respects and appreciates the thorough and
professional work of the Portland authorities and is pleased
that this matter has now been resolved," she added.
In June, the Oregon police announced that they had
investigated Gore over the charges made by Hagerty, 54, --
originally in 2006 and then in 2009 -- when she revealed
details about ex-vice president`s alleged behaviour.
Hagerty claimed that when she came to Gore`s hotel room
in Portland he allegedly told her "Call me Al" and later made
unwanted sexual advances on her.
"I squirmed to try and get out of his grasp, telling him
to stop, don`t, several times, and I finally told him and
said, `You`re being a crazed sex poodle,`" she was quoted by
the media as telling investigators.
Just before the accusations resurfaced, Gore and his
wife, Tipper, announced that they were splitting after 40
years of marriage because they had grown apart.
The family, at the time, denied that the break up had
anything to do with an affair.
The dismissal of these accusations saves the reputation
of the Nobel laureate who is one of the leading voices in
combating climate change.
PTI
