An investigation into claims of sexual assault by former vice president Al Gore is to be re-opened, Portland police said Wednesday.
The move came after the massage therapist that accused Gore of mauling her in a hotel room in late 2006 was identified as Molly Hagerty.
In a statement Wednesday, police officials said: “The Portland Police Bureau has made the decision to re-open the case regarding the allegations brought forward against Mr. Al Gore.
“Consistent with our policy regarding open investigations, the Police Bureau will not be commenting on any additional specifics regarding this case at this time.”
The issue came to light last week, with Portland police confirming they were made aware of the sex assault claim as the National Enquirer ran a story on the alleged incident .
The Enquirer identified Hagerty, 54, late Tuesday ahead of an interview due to hit stands Thursday in which she calls Gore “a pervert and a sexual predator.”
She reportedly told the supermarket tabloid she has video surveillance and DNA evidence to support her claims regarding her experience with Gore.
The tabloid said Hagerty’s name was withheld initially as the victim “of a possible sex crime,” but was released when the massage therapist chose to go public to demand a police investigation into her allegations.
Shortly after the story broke, the District Attorney’s office in Multnomah County, Ore., and Portland police both released statements saying a woman raised a complaint in 2006 but withdrew it in 2007, before giving her statement in 2009, prompting police to investigate.
“If the complainant and the Portland Police Bureau wish to pursue the possibility of a criminal prosecution, additional investigation by the Bureau will be necessary and will be discussed with the Portland Police Bureau,” District Attorney Michael Schrunk said in a written statement last week.
Hagerty, from Oregon, said the 2006 ordeal took place during a massage appointment in Gore’s room at the Hotel Lucia in Portland. In a statement to police, she said the 62-year-old “sex poodle” Gore grabbed her, kissed her and pushed her onto a bed.
Last week, National Enquirer executive editor Barry Levine told The Washington Post that they did not pay the accuser for the story even though she asked for $1 million.
The sexual assault allegations emerged last Wednesday, just weeks after Gore’s shock separation from wife Tipper.
Gore, who became a world-famous environmental campaigner after his time in the Clinton administration, did not comment on Hagerty’s allegations.