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Rediff.com  » News »  Al Gore cleared of sexual misconduct charges

Al Gore cleared of sexual misconduct charges

Source: PTI
July 31, 2010 12:39 IST
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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 on Friday 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.

The 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.
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