Police Release Audio of Al Gore Masseuse Interview

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 02:08:14 PM EST
Tags: Al Gore (all tags)

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The Portland Police Department has put the audio of the Massuese's interview online. Part 1 is here and part 2 is here. Again, she's reading from a statement prepared by her lawyer which he sent her for editing, but she does ad-lib and there is some q and a during and afterwards.

So far no one has taken her up on her $1 million offer for the story, but a source tells Page Six she's preparing to come forward and identify herself.

A source told us, "She's ready to come forward and sell the story with even more salacious details. But she wants $1 million. Her attorney is shopping for a deal, and while there are many media outlets interested, there are negotiations going on because the price tag is way too high."

Meanwhile, the Portland Oregonian's editor explains why they didn't print the story when the accuser first contacted her. [More....]

Along the way, we uncovered information that created significant questions in the minds of the four editors and the investigative reporter who were involved with this story. We still are not yet in a position to publish the information that helped dissuade us from the story.

Also factoring into our decision were conditions the therapist attempted to set forth concerning how the story would be written. She attempted to make her cooperation contingent upon her having a degree of editorial control that we couldn't allow.

In 2007, our choice was either to publish the existence of a third-hand accusation, with little corroborating evidence, or to hold publication until we had more evidence to support it. In 2008, after further reporting by Budnick, our choice was to either publish an ethically compromised story that omitted key facts or not to publish at all.

The paper's investigation occurred in 2007 and 2008 before her January, 2009 statement. As to what it did to investigate the allegations before then, the paper says, in answer to a reader's suggestion that it would have printed it had the subject been Bush or Cheney or a Republican:

If we hadn’t wanted to publish a story, we wouldn’t have spent much of a year looking into it. We wouldn’t have made public-records requests for documents that hadn’t previously been released. We wouldn’t have spent hours calling various massage therapists until we identified the correct one. We wouldn't have interviewed hotel employees and numerous people who know the woman. We wouldn’t have contacted Gore for a response to the allegation. We wouldn’t have placed carefully worded ads in cities around the country trying to find other massage therapists who might have had a similar experience with Gore.

The department's original press release is here and the transcript of the report and interview is here.

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Police Release Audio of Al Gore Masseuse Interview | 78 comments (78 topical)

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Why do the police do this? (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by Militarytracy on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 02:24:08 PM EST

Why do I need this crap in my life? So they have nothing ON Gore and this is what you do? It's crap. We watched my son's principal have his entire career blown all to hell last year when he and his wife had a fight and he'd had a few beers. No charges filed, who knows what actually happened or why, doesn't matter though...his face and a press discription of beer and fighting and he is gone. He would have done anything for my son....anything. If he wasn't charged with anything I don't want to know chit! It's just gossip fodder for people with low frickin self esteem.

I wonder the same thing (5.00 / 2) (#3)
by ZtoA on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 03:27:17 PM EST

And I too have seen lives/careers seriously damaged because of media over attention. Media set their own standards and are often capricious. But the police?

Audio links didn't work for me but this local Portland news TV channel has a snippet of it and the links didn't work thru them either.

This just does not add up to me. The Portland Tribune (not The Oregonian - different paper) said this at your link above:

Along the way, we uncovered information that created significant questions in the minds of the four editors and the investigative reporter who were involved with this story. We still are not yet in a position to publish the information that helped dissuade us from the story.

The Oregonian ran a story yesterday (and the audio links seem to work, plus there is a handy synopsis of the interview) and said this:

Randall Vogt, an attorney who represented her at the time, filed a complaint with police two months after the alleged assault, but the therapist didn't show for three scheduled interviews with detectives. At the time, her attorney indicated the woman didn't want to pursue a criminal prosecution and would pursue a civil case. She later explained to police that she feared becoming a "public spectacle" and didn't think she would be believed.
By January 2009, the therapist returned to Portland police and gave her detailed statement. Portland police did not investigate, citing insufficient evidence without contacting any of her friends, talking to hotel staff or examining clothes she kept from that night. Portland police also did not consult the district attorney's office and closed the case. The woman came back earlier this month to police, obtained a copy of her statement, and said she was going to take her case to the media.

What changed her mind?

Also, I started to listen to part 3 of her interview and she says that "I know I'm not the first woman to be assaulted by him." She apparently knows it in her "gut". This sounds like a smear to me.


: the links work on my computers (none / 0) (#22)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:48:31 PM EST

audio plays fine. (Not sure why they don't work for you.)

Me too (none / 0) (#4)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 03:50:54 PM EST

If anyone gives her a million I just give up on this country.


Why? (none / 0) (#6)
by squeaky on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:29:12 PM EST

It's what makes this country great, free enterprise... or a sucker is born every minute...


: I gave up on this country (5.00 / 1) (#14)
by jondee on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:58:00 PM EST

when 50 mil + voted in that putz for eight years..
How loud a death knell do people need?

: I suppose so (none / 0) (#12)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:49:40 PM EST

I just hate that I live with so many suckers.

It appears the Portland PD (none / 0) (#13)
by oculus on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:51:27 PM EST

would just have soon this incident had never come to their attention. No follow-up with persons identified by the complainant. Did not log as evidence the silk pants the complainant was wearing the night of the incident and which she noticed had a stain on them.


she refused to file a complaint (5.00 / 3) (#18)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:29:07 PM EST

There was nothing to investigate.

On December 19, 2006, I was assigned a confidential internal investigation
involving ** and AL GORE. Sergeant Rich Austria told me he had spoke briefly with * Attorney regarding the case. * had contacted the US Secret Service, The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Oregon State Police in an attempt to have a larger law enforcement agency investigate this case. All above agencies declined and referred him to the agency of jurisdiction where the alleged crime occurred.

After the attorney canceled two meetings, he canceled a third, at which time, the report states:

On January 4,2007, at approximately 11 00 hour * attorney called me and canceled the interview. (told me the case was going to be handled civilly and they would no longer require the services of the Portland Police Bureau.
I contacted Sergeant Austria and informed him of the status of this case.
This case is exceptionally cleared as *refuses to cooperate with the investigation or even report a crime.

If she didn't report a crime or talk to them, and cancelled every interview, and then said she wasn't interested in pursuing a criminal case, there's nothing for them to investigate.

She waltzes back in two years later in Jan. 2009 to give a statement that included the clothes. Then a year later she comes in to get her statement to take to the media.


some jurisdictions, i.e., San Diego (none / 0) (#30)
by oculus on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:09:55 PM EST

City Attorney's OFfice when Casey Gwynn was elected City Attorney, would sometimes prosecute such caases even if the alleged victim declined to prosecute. Usually in domestic violence cases.


: most places will file (none / 0) (#39)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 08:49:59 PM EST

domestic violence without alleged victim's permission or even contrary to her wishes. But this isn't a domestic violence case. The policy considerations are very different.

I guess she's gotten over that whole (5.00 / 4) (#5)
by Anne on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:25:55 PM EST

I'll-be-a-public-spectacle thing, huh?

What's bothering me about the whole thing is that, right from the get-go, she declined to pursue this as a criminal assault, and decided to seek civil redress; to me that says, "maybe it wasn't exactly a crime, but it upset me and I want to be paid for my pain."

It sounds like the newspaper did a more thorough investigation than the police did, and adhered to a much higher ethical standard than the Enquirer (don't know whether to laugh or cry at that statement!), choosing not to publish a one-sided, sensational story that appeared - to them - to be built out of nothing.

Smartest thing Al Gore can do at this point, is exactly what he's doing: refuse to be baited into a he-said, she-said trap.

Or maybe she wants to be paid. Period. (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by Joan in VA on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:44:02 PM EST

Because she knows he has deep pockets. A civil suit from the get-go is highly suspicious and does seem like a money-grab rather than justice. It's entirely possible that nothing untoward happened at all.


Yeah (5.00 / 2) (#11)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:47:47 PM EST

I tend to agree - from what I remember reading about the details, which I did not listen far enough in the tape to hear, if what she says is true, if I were in her position I would not go a criminal route. I can see being upset and maybe thinking I had chosen a profession that was not for the faint of heart. If I was not strong enough to walk away when I was insulted or felt threatened I would not pick a profession that took me to men's hotel rooms at 11 at night.

If she had been truly scared and felt like a victim I don't believe she would have waited 2 years to talk to the police.

I'll add that I was a hotel maid in my teen years and 20s and you do see a side of men on travel that you do not see normally. I brushed off my share of passes and probably could have caused some trouble if I had not chosen to laugh off certain situations and kept them as good stories to tell my friends.


If everything she says is true... (5.00 / 2) (#17)
by Upstart Crow on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:09:24 PM EST

...then he's a gross S.O.B.

But is there anything illegal about being a gross S.O.B.?

I'm glad we have so many laws in place to protect women nowadays ... but the downside seems to be that every time a guy is pushy, sexually offensive, or whatever, women seem to think that legal redress is the next course of action. Even though there are no witnesses. Even though it's impossible for anyone to know what happened in that hotel room.

Pardon my ignorance, but is this really considered "assault" nowadays? I think of "assault" as someone hitting you into submission, or just hitting you or threatening you with a weapon.

This guy (again, assuming it to be true) may have had sex this way dozens of times, and this may be the first time it wasn't okay. So it was a really unpleasant misunderstanding. So what? Unpleasant misunderstandings are part of life.

In which case, suppose she had just said firmly, "No thanks, prostitution isn't included in my services, and you of all people should know that is illegal." Fixed him with the evil eye, and followed up with, "And if you don't stop, I'm calling the police."

The scales fell from my eyes during the Anita Hill hearings. Everyone was shocked, shocked by her testimony -- but the kind of stuff she was reporting was commonplace in my first workplace. I had no trouble at all believing it was true -- and also understanding why she wouldn't hesitate go back to get a reference. You hold your nose and do what you got to do to get by.

And all the congressmen who were "shocked" were exactly the kind of people who would do this.

Am I way off course on this one?


Thanks (5.00 / 2) (#27)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 06:14:43 PM EST

I thought it through more in the car just now on the way back from the dog park, and you said everything I wanted to say, much better.

unpleasant misunderstandings are a part of life. Sometimes even respectable men are pushy jerks when they want something.

It's men and women, the oldest story in the book. I'm glad there are laws when it goes too far, but not all boorish behavior is criminal.


I don't think you are off course. This was a 50 (5.00 / 4) (#33)
by esmense on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:24:41 PM EST

year old woman with, by her own testimony, 12 years of experience in a field that is not only one in which the line between theraputic and sexual can be blurred but also one that includes people who identify themselves as practitioners with the purpose of intentionally crossing that line -- with the result that the public's understanding of where that line lies may not always be bright and clear. Given that reality, whether her accusations against Gore are true or not, doesn't it seem likely that over the years, especially in the context of late night appointments in hotel rooms, she might have encountered such situations before and developed some professional expertise in dealing with them and protecting herself? Furthermore, wouldn't you expect that in an upscale hotel where she had an established professional relationship she would have some allies experienced in and ready to help help her with a rowdy and inappropriate guest?

I was raped as a teenager by a powerfully built Army office, the friend of family friends, who was a decade older than me and outweighed me by about 150 pounds. But it wasn't his superior strength that was his real weapon -- his real weapon was my total innocence -- sexual and worldly -- and lack of experience. I was simply incapable of anticipating danger from this man -- of seeing him as anything other than a well respected and trustworthy adult (who I, as not an adult had an obligation to treat with respect and deference) or of imagining that any respectable and trustworthy adult would ever have any intention to harm me. That's what made me vulnerable and what allowed him to manuever me to a place where he could, and did, simply and safely knock me down with one blow.

By the time I was the age this woman was, I had a much more keenly attuned idea of where real danger might lie, of the difference between dangerous and boorish, and of how to avoid the first and escape the second.


Oh, heck (none / 0) (#34)
by gyrfalcon on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:49:23 PM EST

So, so sorry that happened to you. It didn't to me only by the grace of God or whoever directs these things. It could very well have, given my utter naivete.


So sorry to hear that (none / 0) (#41)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 09:48:34 PM EST

I think this woman is going to end up wishing she had half your sense and perspective.


: I didn't mean to elicit sympathy -- just wanted (5.00 / 1) (#58)
by esmense on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 09:29:42 AM EST

to make the point that in addition to the weapons and greater physical strength Upstart Crow referred to in her post, a rapist depends on some reasonable expectation that he will be safe from exposure. Not only in terms of the physical space where the attack occurs but also in terms of exposure after the fact. My attacker used my inexperience to get me away from others and possible help, and, in the context of the times, depended on my youth, my shame, and -- very important in this case -- the difference in our social standing to protect him long term. I have no doubt it was a strategy that had worked for him many times over. (And it worked with me too -- I didn't tell anyone about the attack until 20 years later.)
But in this incident, Gore, a public man with public enemies, a goody goody reputation and a name that could be counted on to sell newspapers if connected to scandal, was, just by allowing himself to be naked under a sheet in a room with a stranger, even if his behavior was beyond reproach, vulnerable in ways this woman was certainly mature enough to understand and use to protect herself, or, as she may be trying to do, use to her advantage. She has to work very hard in her statement to provide a convincing argument for why she felt and acted so powerless -- and I, like Upstart Crow, don't find those arguments very convincing.
This doesn't mean I don't question Gore's behavior. Why in the world, given everything the Clinton/Gore administration went through, would he make himself vulnerable by making a practice, as the Portland Tribune reports he does, of getting late night massages in hotel rooms? It puts, as one of my friends suggested, his whole holier than thou attitude toward Clinton in a new and even more arrogant light. And I found his using his "37 year marriage" as a defense distasteful.
It may be that Tipper's divorcing him because he's been unfaithful -- but I think 40 years of putting up with insufferable is probably grounds enough.

Portland Police Bureau: (none / 0) (#23)
by oculus on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:54:26 PM EST

In some states, yes (none / 0) (#37)
by gyrfalcon on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:55:46 PM EST

it is considered "assault." Someone I know fairly well, who's a manic-depressive, is currently being prosecuted for "assault" for saying rude and suggestive things to strange women on the street and actually touching one very briefly. Not my definition of "assault," but it is the state's.

It's perfectly ludricrous to any semi-thoughttful person (an abject apology from him to his "victim" is all that's really called for under the circumstances) but prosecutors and publicity-hungry "victims'" attorneys (a very high-profile one in this case) apparently leave their minds in the parking lot when there's hay to be made out of someone else's personal agony.


Assuming the hotel is experienced in this (none / 0) (#19)
by ding7777 on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:35:42 PM EST

type of request, would the hotel knowingly provide a "massage therapist" if a "masseuse"(wink, wink) was asked for?


Hotel staff would probably know the difference (none / 0) (#28)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 06:22:42 PM EST

If asked, but how nuts would Al Gore have to be to ask the hotel staff to arrange him a 'happy ending' massage? With all the risky behavior we have seen from public figures I guess I should stop being surprised.

My totally unsubstantiated speculation is that he may know what he wants, but does not ask for it in public, taking his chances with the individual therapist that he gets set up with. Sometimes it works out and sometimes not.


Al Gore (5.00 / 2) (#38)
by gyrfalcon on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:56:48 PM EST

has never struck me as much of a risk-taker.


: Not my experience (5.00 / 1) (#42)
by Upstart Crow on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 09:53:07 PM EST

I've never known men to be especially risk-aversive when they're horny.

: Lol, no indeed. (none / 0) (#40)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 09:37:00 PM EST

Keep it in the lock box Al.

Looks like Oregon state law (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by oculus on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:35:48 PM EST

gives law enforcement discretion to turn over these reports to the press. link

Shouldn't happen under CA law.

: Thank you letting me know (none / 0) (#55)
by Militarytracy on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 04:50:28 AM EST

that some states would not allow this. I guess I know where AL stands on that.

I read the transcript and I have to say that what (5.00 / 1) (#15)
by Angel on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:04:27 PM EST

she says doesn't ring true to me. And the fact that she didn't report it as a crime really sets the bells off....$$$$$, that's what this is about. Really, read the transcript and you'll see why I say this. She sounds like a lunatic. In the first part of the transcript she reads a prepared statement - sounds reasonable and personalbe; but then she starts ad-libbing and it gets weird because her language is nothing like the prepared statement! lol She seems like someone who doesn't get along well with others, sees conspiracies, etc. She makes a lot of asides and a few little insulting comments, and is generally weird. Wacko, IMO.

Disagree. But, because of her (none / 0) (#16)
by oculus on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:08:47 PM EST

tactic to jolly him along so she could leave the hotel suite, case would have been very difficult to prosecute. Definitely a "he said, she said."


and in parts (none / 0) (#21)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:46:23 PM EST

she emphasizes her written words as if she's reading from a play.


Yes, she was very dramatic in the words. I read (none / 0) (#29)
by Angel on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:08:32 PM EST

the transcript, didn't listen to the audio. But some of the words she uses and the way she describes things are strange to say the least. She knows all about the 'corruption' going on and she tries to come off as a goody two-shoes, yet her language says otherwise. Some of the things she says and the way she says them sound a little absurd to me. I'd be surprised if this were a true story.


Yes, odd thinking (none / 0) (#35)
by ZtoA on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:50:37 PM EST

she says she did not leave because she was afraid police would shoot or taser her. Her comment about tipping was calling it "graft". When her camisole strap ("molest-proof" and he did not get the strap down) was grabbed she called it "assault". In the 4th audio tape she is just talking, not reading, and she really lets slip all sorts of little comments. She really gets snide in an odd way.


Crappy story (5.00 / 1) (#43)
by Upstart Crow on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 10:46:51 PM EST

Her desperation to make something out of nothing tends to give it the feel of truth, though it may not be. If she were inventing, she could have invented something more colorful and actionable. This is an anecdote, not a lawsuit.

Pushy guys are a dime a dozen. The outlandishness of her behavior may simply be a result of trying to embroider a story that doesn't have much to it.

And yes, she might be entirely crackers, which doesn't help. Somebody said on an earlier thread that her age "changes the dynamics" -- it does, though perhaps not in the way he thought. This isn't a 23-year-old trying to launch a modeling career -- this is a woman who probably has kids, or elderly parents, or perhaps longstanding "issues."

But the question is still: So what? It makes AG look like a creep -- but lots of guys are creeps behind closed doors. It was always a surprise to me which ones were. Being creepy is not something that demands financial redress for those on whom the creepiness has been emptied.


After listening to the part of the (none / 0) (#45)
by ZtoA on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 11:31:59 PM EST

interview where she did not read her prepared statement I think she may have even encouraged him. Calling him a "crazed sex poodle"? Sounds flirty to me - all laughing along. She "squirmed away" from his advances. She mocks his voice and keeps referring to herself as a "woman of cleavage". And why did she need to bring up the 2000 election or the Clintons? He "had her on her back" for..... couple of minutes, ...several minutes before she pushes him off. What was she doing those minutes while he was "pitching a big giggle fit"?

Yes men can be horny jerks but did she encourage it? And then take advantage of it?


: Rashomon (5.00 / 1) (#46)
by Upstart Crow on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 11:34:09 PM EST

We'll never know.

attitude "normal" (none / 0) (#75)
by zaitztheunconvicted on Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 12:40:45 PM EST

Her attitudes and comments are quite normal for a certain segment of the massage-practitioning population . . .

the majority of massage-practitioners function independently, often have competitive views regarding their competition, live in a cut-throat world of competition unless they have speciall skills, often are angry or resentful towards those others they think cheat or break rules . . . a segment is irritated and somewhat angry at those who are sexually attractive or appealing and may well wish that the police would shut them down in some way, either to increase their own business or to preserve the reputation of massage in the minds of the public . . . and this is sometimes true even of some that break rules mildly themselves, depending on how mildly or badly they break them . . . though in this case, her only area of "graft" (in this report, so far as we know) is paying the concierge to help send her business.


Her actions are not unexplainable. (5.00 / 2) (#53)
by caseyOR on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 01:30:55 AM EST

I, like everyone else here, have no idea what really happened in that hotel room. However, there are some things I do know about sexual assault victims.

It is not unusual for someone who has been sexually assaulted to delay reporting it to the police. People wait a month, two months, six months a year. Many women never report the assault. More often than not, the woman questions the whole thing. Did she do anything to make the guy think his behavior was okay? Did she somehow encourage it? Did it really happen? Sexual assault is a shocking thing. Women go into shock when it happens. A person in shock does not think rationally. And no one wants to believe it just happened to them.

The "teasing" language some have referred to is not surprising. Many women, my self included, have found themselves in a situation with an aggressive male that the woman tries to diffuse by "jollying" him along verbally while trying to figure a way out. The fear is that if the woman gets forceful, even verbally, the man may become angry. And that 's never good.

Although we like to pretend that women who report sexual assault are treated better these days, the truth is society still believes it is the woman's fault. Oh, we say sexual assault is wrong, but then we always question the woman's actions. Why was she out alone at night? Why was she in that bar drinking? What did she expect wearing those clothes? Underneath all the PC language still runs an undercurrent that says she was somehow asking for it.

I hear echos of that same sentiment in many of the comments made on these threads even though I am certain that most, if not all, people here believe sexual assault to be a horrible thing.

I don't know if this woman was assaulted. I don't know what happened in that room. I hope it didn't happen, not because it's Al Gore, but because, if true, it is a terrible thing to have happened to her.

: As someone who has survived (5.00 / 3) (#57)
by Militarytracy on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 06:24:12 AM EST

being sexually assaulted, and at this point I'm not sure there are many women in this country who haven't, the only thing she has done that gives me concern is the publicity thing. I don't know when a sexual assault has ever experienced a consistent healing or justice via publicity. And there is in my opinion a big difference in an informed public for the sake of public safety and publicity. I reported being assaulted and then my attacker went public that I reported him and he attempted to do a he said she said thing. I didn't want publicity though. I wasn't seeking attention, only healing and justice. I guess because of what I desired out of it his publicity "thing" ended up blowing up in his face in some strange way, and then he started stalking me. Then there I am, back at the police station, and there he is, back at the police station. After that he quit. Sexual assault though is so personal, I don't know how the assaulted could experience healing in the venue of the world. I tend to think that healing can really only take place more privately and in a smaller group.
And even though a I am survivor I cannot overlook the fact that many people have been falsely accused of sexual assault, and when "publicity" is involved I am always suspicious about that now.

: Please correct me if I'm wrong (5.00 / 1) (#61)
by Upstart Crow on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 12:24:23 PM EST

But she reported the incident to some agency within -- what was it? -- hours, days after the original incident?
She did not get paid by the hotel for the massage.
So she did say or do something to create a kerfuffle, almost immediately after the incident.
The hotel no longer employs her. Obviously, they need AG more than they need her.
It sounds like something happened, however confused, that caused her distress.
And it sounds like this had professional repercussions for her. For someone self-employed, this can be a big deal. The hotel probably was her best gig. She's in her 50s. And there are a lot of 20-somethings to take her place.
Yes, I know all about "jollying them along." You do anything to avoid triggering hormonal rage.
And besides, it's your job. Not keeping everything happy-happy can have big repercussions. And did.

: OK (none / 0) (#54)
by squeaky on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 01:49:59 AM EST

there are some things I do know about sexual assault victims.
And what do you know about those who try to extort money or, blackmailers celebrities?
Just sayin.... there are additional factors in this case, namely a famous married super rich guy with a straight laced reputation.

: She is a professional masseuse (none / 0) (#60)
by ding7777 on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 12:06:22 PM EST

or massage therapist.
Since the hotel requested her, I'm assuming both she and the hotel has experience with dealing with men, alone, at night, in a hotel room.

Is the audio a recording of the (none / 0) (#2)
by FoxholeAtheist on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 03:07:25 PM EST

actual statement the complainant made to the Portland Police Department? And the Portland PD has put it online? On their own website?

What is the precedent for this? Is it legal? I hope that last question isn't quaint!

I listened to a little of it (none / 0) (#7)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:33:08 PM EST

Rather long wind-up. but yes, it is a police interview. the detective and victims advocate identify themselves, but the accusers name is blanked out. She starts out reading a long statement which is her version of the events. I didn't get very far, so I don't know how many questions the detective asked after the statement.

I have no idea if it is regular procedure to release such interviews. I assume the accuser would have to consent to it.


: open records law (none / 0) (#20)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:45:11 PM EST

probably allows it.

The guiding principle of the records law is that every public record is subject to disclosure unless it is specifically exempted. However, most exemptions do not prohibit disclosure; they merely exempt the public body from the law's mandate to disclose public records.
If it were a current investigation, there might be an exception:

Police might withhold investigatory information compiled for criminal law purposes if untimely release would compromise a specific investigation.
This was long closed.

: Exceptions don't prevent disclosure (none / 0) (#24)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 05:58:26 PM EST

Statute

3) Investigatory information compiled for criminal law purposes.
The record of an arrest or the report of a crime shall be disclosed unless and only for so long as there is a clear need to delay disclosure in the course of a specific investigation, including the need to protect the complaining party or the victim. Nothing in this subsection shall limit any right constitutionally guaranteed, or granted by statute, to disclosure or discovery in criminal cases.

Since the matter was no longer being investigated, there was no reason not to disclose.

Wondering what revision/corrections (none / 0) (#9)
by oculus on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:43:17 PM EST

the witness made to the transcript of the 2009 interview. Also, the exact content of the written statement from which she was reading during the 2009 interview.

I wonder if she tried to get money (none / 0) (#25)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 06:02:16 PM EST

from the hotel in the intervening years, claiming they were responsible somehow. She's no longer giving massages for them.

I wonder if she ever got paid, it doesn't sound like it. From her statement, the hotel seems to dispute that they told her to bill them instead of him.

Also, she left a tip for the concierge, Brandon, who recommended her for the booking. She left it in an envelope since he had already gone home. I wonder if she ever said anything to him, or tried to get her tip back (if she didn't get paid.)

She referred to that tip (none / 0) (#26)
by ZtoA on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 06:13:03 PM EST

as "graft".


I wondered about that, too. The entire sequence (none / 0) (#31)
by Angel on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:12:32 PM EST

of events - in her story, anyway - sounded kind of strange. I'll be she did go after the hotel and they said nothing doing.


: sequence reasonable (none / 0) (#74)
by zaitztheunconvicted on Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 12:26:11 PM EST

the only thing that is perhaps "unreasonable" in this series of events is her staying in the room for a while after she had wanted to leave . . .
and, there are many instances, especially given certain personalities, in which exactly that happens, due to someone attempting to placate a potentially violent or angry or abusive person, by staying longer than you or I or others might.
It happens all the time; I've been in family situations in which I have observed this, and it is perfectly "reasonable" for some people with certain ways of dealing with the world. Or, are you thinking that Al Gore's persistence in making sexual advances, after she had said no or declined, is unreasonable? Men do this all the time, in various ways, especially in a situation such as she described.

Is Al Gore even relevant to anything in 2010? (none / 0) (#32)
by Pianobuff on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:12:47 PM EST

Really folks.... I don't even know why this is being picked up. These days, he's basically a non-entity.

Just goes to show the state of the media... nothing like a good scandal to cover the front page, no matter how irrelevant the affair or the person. E-gads - take me to River City.

: A non-entity? Not relevant? On what planet are (5.00 / 1) (#36)
by Angel on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 07:55:29 PM EST

you living?

where's the greed? (none / 0) (#44)
by diogenes on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 11:26:00 PM EST

Report in 2006; again 2009.
This is not classic behavior of someone who wants money; what changed in 2010? What changed is that Al and Tipper broke up. Whether the massage therapist chose to sit on a valid complaint out of sympathy for Tipper or whether she decided to follow up on a trumped up complaint (then why file it in the first place?) when Tipper was no longer around is the key question here.

: Assumptions (5.00 / 1) (#49)
by Upstart Crow on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 11:44:54 PM EST

You keep thinking this woman is working strategically and politically, because that's the way you think. Otherwise you wouldn't be on this site.
Motivations are far more likely to be involved with her personal life and psychology -- and since we don't even know who she is (and if we're lucky and she's lucky, we never will), we don't know.

check it out (none / 0) (#47)
by pac on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 11:40:13 PM EST

Way back during Clinton's Monica drama Al Gore, while admonishing such behavior, gave Clinton a big happy back pat, documented. Could it be that body language speaks better than words?

Gee? (none / 0) (#48)
by pac on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 11:40:44 PM EST

So Al having a little fun and games. Gee?

If the woman sd. basically the same (none / 0) (#50)
by oculus on Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 11:56:33 PM EST

thing happened to her when she went to the hotel room of a former GOP VP, would your opinion be different as to her credibility and/or motivation?

That would depend on a few things (5.00 / 1) (#51)
by Romberry on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 12:25:20 AM EST

First, it would depend on who the former VP was and what their personal character was perceived to be.

Second, it would depend on the woman involved, and her statements and actions. And the time line.

In other words, it would depend on the totality of the circumstances.

There is no way for anyone who wasn't in that room to be 100 percent sure of what went on (or didn't go on), but we can form some impressions from the totality of what we do know. Read Jeralyn's post in this thread above and you might see where the totality of circumstance leads some of us to be skeptical.


: Correction (5.00 / 2) (#52)
by Upstart Crow on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 12:28:33 AM EST

There is no way for anyone who wasn't in that room to be 100 percent sure of what went on (or didn't go on)
I'm not sure it's even possible for the people in the room to be 100 percent sure of what went on.

: Sceptical. Certainly. But many (none / 0) (#59)
by oculus on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 10:41:34 AM EST

are characterizing the alleged victim as someone who should be better at defending herself. Should know her chosen profession puts her at risk. Etc.

quite true. (none / 0) (#56)
by cpinva on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 05:46:51 AM EST

I, like everyone else here, have no idea what really happened in that hotel room.

but, we do have a fair idea of what happened subsequently, as officially stated by the portland police:

she/her attorney blew off 3 scheduled interviews, after filing the original complaint, deciding to pursue civil action instead.

she then shops her story around for a million dollar pay day. her choice of clothing seemed kind of odd to me, for a professional person, since camisoles traditionally are lady's underthings. i know they are also worn as outer clothing nowadays, but still can't figure why she'd think that was professional wear.

i wonder if she or her attorney have had the stain on her pants analyzed, for possible DNA evidence?

Camisoles (none / 0) (#62)
by Upstart Crow on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 12:43:45 PM EST

Camisoles were all the rage a couple years back, along with visible bra straps.

This is another area where age may be a factor: After 50, many women stop thinking they are going to be a tempting target. You think your age protects you from this kind of crap.


And... (none / 0) (#63)
by Upstart Crow on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 12:50:27 PM EST

And if her name comes out, and it turns out she's a relatively unattractive woman, you know what she's going to be subjected to by the MSM and blogosphere.

They'll make fun of her boobs, they'll make fun of her wrinkles, they'll make fun of her clothes and her voice.

If they did it to Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin (especially when they threatened male idols) -- what are they going to do to this obscure and powerless masseuse?

I think I'd duck out of a lot of court/police interviews on that basis, too.


And (none / 0) (#64)
by squeaky on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 01:01:15 PM EST

Don't forget the main point, they will make fun of her trying to cash in on a celebrity with a case that appears to be thin gruel.


all of which leads back to............ (none / 0) (#65)
by cpinva on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 02:06:37 PM EST

why did she file the police report, then bail, claiming she was going to pursue civil action? what, she thought she could hide in a cave, while that was going on?

with a civil action, there's no reason for the press to keep her identity secret. the lack of anything substantiating her claim, as noted by the police, would become fodder for both the respondent and the press.

who knows, maybe she thought she'd get a sympathetic, made-for-tv movie on the lifetime channel out of it. or oxygen.

oh, and i'm sure al gore, being a well known fashionisto, would know that lady's underthings are now considered de riguer outerwear.


oops! (none / 0) (#66)
by cpinva on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 02:07:46 PM EST

should have been:

You bet, squeaky (none / 0) (#67)
by Upstart Crow on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 04:00:03 PM EST

And a shakedown was the only possible gain she could have made from this mess. And that's not happening. "Thin gruel," as you said.

Whatever occurred in the hotel room -- he will keep the Nobel, the mansions, the washer and dryer, and the bottle of "Jungle Gardenia" by Tuvache.

She will get defamation and ridicule -- even if what she said happened is 100 percent true. She's not going to get a Playboy centerfold out of this or launch a film career, and I suspect she knows this.

It's a lose-lose for her.

cpinva, you keep asking as if she's a rational actor, when her actions have shown she's anything but. Some have suggested she's not even okay in the head. But then, she's probably in way over her head by now, and nobody looks good under such circumstances.


Not Sure (none / 0) (#68)
by squeaky on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 04:13:45 PM EST

Where you are at with this, but:

And a shakedown was the only possible gain she could have made from this mess.

If she is credible, she said that what she wanted is for him to be stopped from doing this to other women.

My point is certainly not to suggest that she is a fraud, but to balance out your seemingly limited view that this is a typical case of woman making accusations and woman getting ridiculed aka blaming the victim.

And the balance that I was hoping to provide is that the "typicalness" of this case also includes another category. One where someone goes the personal route, rather than the legal route, threatening to make public a story that would embarrass a rich and famous person enough that they would want to settle in order to make the case go away.

That "typical" scenario is gender neutral, different than the "typical" scenario you describe which is almost always sexist.


perhaps so. (none / 0) (#69)
by cpinva on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 04:32:46 PM EST

cpinva, you keep asking as if she's a rational actor, when her actions have shown she's anything but. Some have suggested she's not even okay in the head.

let's assume, for the sake of discussion, this is the case. maybe that contributed to the police drop-kicking this in the first place: a clearly irrational person, making accusations, against a famous person, with zero substantiation, and a refusal to help with the investigation.

i'll take "i'm not touching this with a ten foot pole", for $500 alex!

of course, the enquirer a well known bastion of high journalistic standards, had no such qualms running the story.

they got luck once, in their entire history, with the edwards situation. that hardly makes them the columbia journalism review.


: What about the truth? (none / 0) (#70)
by Upstart Crow on Sun Jun 27, 2010 at 05:13:18 PM EST

But her not being a rational actor in no way eliminates the possibility that she is telling the truth.
Squeaky, point taken: she could be doing this in a civil suit to get settlement from AG. As for "making sure he'll never do this again..." -- pull the other one, it's got bells on it. Did Genifer Flowers (remember her?) even slow Bill Clinton down?

believe her so far (none / 0) (#71)
by zaitztheunconvicted on Mon Jun 28, 2010 at 12:08:46 AM EST

I've read the first half of the transcript . . .
as well as various other comments for and against her on other parts of the Net . . .

At this point, I am inclined to believe her,
and I say this as someone who strongly disliked Bush and believe Bush stole the election from Gore.

I've seen various types of massage practitioners for many years. Her report of his behavior is credible . . . her report of her own reaction to his behavior is also credible, at least so far as I have read.

People have their own reasons--sometimes good and sometimes poor and sometimes flawed--for not bringing a criminal complaint. The Net also reports that shortly after this massage visit, the Gore family put a lot of its assets into a trust that would shield it from a lawsuit--which the Gores may have expected and knew that they could easily lose.

If anyone wishes to point to anything specific in what she said or did, and to claim that it is inconsistent with her story as a whole, I will consider it . . .

I suggest you continue reading the entire (5.00 / 1) (#72)
by Angel on Mon Jun 28, 2010 at 09:32:35 AM EST

transcript, and then the question and answer portion. You may change your opinion about this. And so far as putting their property assets in a trust, many people do this, especially if they have a lot of assets. And I would also think that if the Gores had already discussed divorce that their attorney may have suggested this move for some reason. And even if the allegations are true, and even if the lady were to win a judgment against Mr. Gore, I highly doubt it would rise to the level that they would lose any of their real estate.


read all the transcript (none / 0) (#73)
by zaitztheunconvicted on Mon Jun 28, 2010 at 11:04:07 PM EST

ok, I have read all the transcript, and I still don't see anything in it that is suggesting to me that the story is a fabrication. . . and the transcript answers things that Jeralyn seems to have missed, which is suggesting to me that Jeralyn has not read it or heard it very carefully. Per the transcript, at first she thought the hotel would pay her, but when they didn't, someone from Gore's team of handlers arranged for her to be paid .. . presumably from a Gore account of some type, directly.

Please note the following:
1) a person who had been involved in criminal, shady, dishonorable or even questionable behavior in any way might choose to not file a police report or call it a crime and ask for prosecution;
or
2) in her case, even absent any shady behavior, a police investigation would likely put an end to her doing massages in hotels and so, originally, and for some time after the events took place, she had a powerful economic incentive to not ask for a full police investigation;
and
3) a person who is being questioned may well change her tone or vocabulary, and the lawyer she consulted presumably helped prepare her original statement;
and
4) there is nothing abnormal or absurd in her description of the world of massage as it pertains to outcall massage to hotels, except that she might be unusual in not doing sexual things during the massage;

The only thing that is "wacko" here is that
when Gore was told no firmly, that he persisted and insisted and "assaulted" her, which a gentleman should not and would not have done, and it seems that Gore's bad behavior may have been the result of having been in a position of power for some time, resulting in few or no people having rebuked him for being an idiot. "Normal" pepole who act like idiots get rebuked, slapped or arrested. Congressmen, senators and some others, it takes longer or doesn't happen the same way.


Wow! You've got it all figured out, don't you? (none / 0) (#76)
by Angel on Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 02:02:19 PM EST

You know for a fact that Al Gore assaulted her? No, you don't know anything. There were only two people in the room and we've heard only one side of the story. So, until we hear both versions or see some actual evidence of an assault, I'm going with what I've read, and that is that this gal comes across and not entirely believable. You think what you want to think and I'll think what I want to think. Deal?


agreeing and disagreeing (none / 0) (#77)
by zaitztheunconvicted on Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 11:25:45 PM EST

I suppose that we can "agree to disagree," but my observations are:

her attitude and behavior as described fits what I have known of a segment of the massage practitioners;
the behavior of Gore as described fits what I know of the self-reported behavior of some who see massage practitioners;
the story could all be a fabrication . . . based on what she knew some idiot men acted like . . .

but also . . .
4) she testifies to having liked, respected, trusted and voted for Gore;
and
4a) given her cultural background, liking and voting and respecting Gore would be natural . . .
and
4b) all the massage practitioners with whom I have discussed politics were anti-Bush and pro-Gore (or pro-Nader), pro-HRC or Obama;
and if 4 (and/or 4a and 4b) is true, then, her report of Gore's sexual bad behavior is contrary to her political/cultural interests . . .
and
5) she expresses as much shock and dismay that a man who could have been Pres (and whom she respected and trusted) could have and did such things, and was angry and nearly violent, as that, they were being done to her . . .
and
5a) if her motive were to gain some money in a lawsuit or settlement and so she fabricated the story, including the details of #5 doesn't help--unless the fabricator is being very crafty and creating verisimilitude--
and
5b) in fact, I have been betrayed on 2 major occasions by someone I trusted, and my reaction was as much shock and disbelief as it was anger--disbelief that someone I thought I knew would do what he/she did . . .

In any case, "Angel," and not being sure if you are male or female, but, after you have seen several dozen massage practitioners, write us and tell us what they are like.

thanks.


: I believe she said she 'voted against Bush.' (none / 0) (#78)
by Angel on Wed Jun 30, 2010 at 10:29:32 AM EST

Not going to read the transcript again but that's what I recall. Okay, on to my experience with massage. I get a massage at least once a month, sometimes more often depending on how much I've worked out, how stressed out I am from work, etc. I've used men and women, no difference either way to me. I once had a massage in Italy and used a male therapist. There was no blanket on the table, only a small towel to cover myself....so I covered my lower area and my breasts were exposed. I really thought nothing of it as that was just the practice there. Nothing sexual in the massage and I didn't feel at all uncomfortable. I have, however, had a massage with a male therapist who touched the upper inner part of my thigh a little more than was necessary so I told him to move his hands and massage elsewhere. I have a friend who had a massage therapist kiss her on the shoulder when the session was over. She reported him immediately following the massage. And I've had massages in my room at hotels, both alone and simultaneously with my husband. My husband just returned from a trip and had a massage with two women, he said it was fabulous. lol I'm quite experienced with massage and have had hundreds of experiences, thus hundreds of therapists. All different in their techniques, demeanor, personalities, etc. So, like I said earlier, none of us knows what went on in that room, but her story doesn't ring entirely true to me. And like I also said, let's wait and see if there's any evidence that something untoward happened. Until there is evidence that she was assaulted then I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to the accused.