The district attorney in Portland, Ore., announced today that he will not pursue charges against former Vice President Al Gore stemming from allegations of sexual assault.
From local TV station KOIN:
“After evaluating the materials submitted by PPB I have concluded that I agree with the assessment that a sustainable criminal case does not exist,” said District Attorney Michael D. Schrunk, in a statement.
The case was submitted on July 27 for a review of possible criminal charges against Gore stemming from an incident alleged to have occurred during Gore’s visit to Portland in October of 2006.
A massage therapist in Portland accused Gore of sexually assaulting her during a massage in 2006. The allegations were published this year by National Enquirer, eventually prompting the Portland Police and the DA to reopen the case. They then interviewed Gore for the first time about the allegations.
Gore, who has denied all allegations, released a statement saying he “appreciates the thorough and professional work of the Portland authorities.”
In a memo from the DA’s office obtained by local media, prosecutor Don Rees listed 8 “deficiencies” the case that led to the decision not to prosecute.
1. Ms. Hagerty, who has red hair, states she called Mr. Gore immediately following the alleged incident and told him to “dream of redheaded women” seemingly in contradiction to her assertions that she was terrified of Mr. Gore. Two days after the alleged incident Ms. Hagerty also sent an email to the Hotel Lucia stating that she appreciated the business referrals she received from the hotel. She did not mention any problem with Mr. Gore;
2. Witnesses at the hotel where the alleged incident occurred state they do not remember seeing or hearing anything unusual—directly contradicting Ms. Hagerty’s published claim in the July 12, 2010 of the National Enquirer that she was “shaking and in shock” and “rushed down the hall and to the lobby where the front desk clerk noticed she was upset was asked if she was OK”;
3. Forensic testing of pants retained by Ms. Hagerty as possible evidence are negative for the presence of seminal fluid;
4. Ms. Hagerty has not provided as repeatedly requested medical records she claims are
related to the case;5. Ms. Hagerty has also failed to provide other records related to the case;
6. Ms. Hagerty failed a polygraph examination;
7. It appears Ms. Hagerty was paid by the National Enquirer for her story; and
8. Mr. Gore voluntarily met with detectives and denied all of the allegations.
See TPMmuckraker’s complete coverage for more on the allegations.
(ed.note: This post has been edited since its original publication to include details from the DA’s Office’s memo.)
