Al Gore's March of the Masseuses
Annie Groer
Correspondent
Posted:
07/22/10
Former Vice President Al Gore's "march of the hotel masseuses" has begun across the front page of the National Enquirer.
First came Oregon massage therapist Molly Hagerty, 54, whose recent Enquirer allegations of groping and forced kissing by Gore, 62, in 2006 prompted Portland police to reopen their probe earlier this month. They initially closed the case last year for insufficient evidence. Hagerty initially refused to cooperate in 2007 but changed her mind in January 2009, when she gave police a lengthy statement.
Now two more masseuses are being depicted as objects of Gore's unwanted attentions. Those alleged incidents were described in the latest Enquirer by unnamed hotel sources about unidentified massage therapists at undisclosed lodgings in Beverly Hills in 2007 and Tokyo in 2008.
Gore family spokeswoman Kalee Krieder in Nashville declined to address the latest masseuse story but sent me this e-mail: "I'll refer you to my previous statement: The Gores cannot comment on every defamatory, misleading, and inaccurate story generated by tabloids."
This week's Enquirer, which began hitting newsstands Wednesday, says one "purported incident" took place at the rooftop spa of a hotel while Gore was in Hollywood for the Oscars for "An Inconvenient Truth." According to this Enquirer tipster, "the therapist claimed that when they were alone, Gore shrugged off a towel and stood naked in front of her. He pointed at his erect penis and ordered her, "Take care of this." The woman allegedly fled the spa and complained to a superior. She is now said to have moved to San Francisco.
The Enquirer reports that the Tokyo masseuse complained to hotel management and threatened to call police about "sexually inappropriate" conduct that allegedly occurred after Gore spoke at Keio University. No details were provided, although the source is quoted as saying "the alleged incident soon became known among some Tokyo journalists."
As for Hagerty, the alleged groping took place Oct. 26, 2006 at the posh Hotel Lucia. Hagerty hired a Portland attorney specializing in sex crimes, who consulted police in January 2007 about a possible case. The police tried three times to interview Hagerty, but she decided instead to pursue a civil lawsuit, not a criminal action. Her lawyer bowed out of the case thereafter.
In January 2009, she asked the police to let her give a lengthy statement. Portland authorities declined to press charges, citing insufficient evidence of a sex crime (click for audio and written versions of the 67-page Portland police report).
But recently, the Portland Police Bureau reopened its investigation. "There should have been command level review at the time on the specifics of this case and decisions on whether the investigation should go forward," the Bureau announced in statement.
"I can't release any information at this time about the investigation," Officer Mary Wheat, the PPB spokeswoman, told me via e-mail. "I don't think there have been any 'secret' meetings but detectives have been completing the investigation. I do not have a timeline at this time. She added that Police Chief Larry O'Dea "asked that it be done quickly."
First came Oregon massage therapist Molly Hagerty, 54, whose recent Enquirer allegations of groping and forced kissing by Gore, 62, in 2006 prompted Portland police to reopen their probe earlier this month. They initially closed the case last year for insufficient evidence. Hagerty initially refused to cooperate in 2007 but changed her mind in January 2009, when she gave police a lengthy statement.
Now two more masseuses are being depicted as objects of Gore's unwanted attentions. Those alleged incidents were described in the latest Enquirer by unnamed hotel sources about unidentified massage therapists at undisclosed lodgings in Beverly Hills in 2007 and Tokyo in 2008.
Gore family spokeswoman Kalee Krieder in Nashville declined to address the latest masseuse story but sent me this e-mail: "I'll refer you to my previous statement: The Gores cannot comment on every defamatory, misleading, and inaccurate story generated by tabloids."This week's Enquirer, which began hitting newsstands Wednesday, says one "purported incident" took place at the rooftop spa of a hotel while Gore was in Hollywood for the Oscars for "An Inconvenient Truth." According to this Enquirer tipster, "the therapist claimed that when they were alone, Gore shrugged off a towel and stood naked in front of her. He pointed at his erect penis and ordered her, "Take care of this." The woman allegedly fled the spa and complained to a superior. She is now said to have moved to San Francisco.
The Enquirer reports that the Tokyo masseuse complained to hotel management and threatened to call police about "sexually inappropriate" conduct that allegedly occurred after Gore spoke at Keio University. No details were provided, although the source is quoted as saying "the alleged incident soon became known among some Tokyo journalists."
As for Hagerty, the alleged groping took place Oct. 26, 2006 at the posh Hotel Lucia. Hagerty hired a Portland attorney specializing in sex crimes, who consulted police in January 2007 about a possible case. The police tried three times to interview Hagerty, but she decided instead to pursue a civil lawsuit, not a criminal action. Her lawyer bowed out of the case thereafter.
In January 2009, she asked the police to let her give a lengthy statement. Portland authorities declined to press charges, citing insufficient evidence of a sex crime (click for audio and written versions of the 67-page Portland police report).
But recently, the Portland Police Bureau reopened its investigation. "There should have been command level review at the time on the specifics of this case and decisions on whether the investigation should go forward," the Bureau announced in statement.
The latest edition of the Enquirer says Hagerty had a "secret July 7 meeting" with Portland Police Bureau investigators, who also interviewed "several others."
"I can't release any information at this time about the investigation," Officer Mary Wheat, the PPB spokeswoman, told me via e-mail. "I don't think there have been any 'secret' meetings but detectives have been completing the investigation. I do not have a timeline at this time. She added that Police Chief Larry O'Dea "asked that it be done quickly."