Gore's Sex Scandal Tells New Story

by John M. Curtis

(310) 204-8700

Copyright June 24, 2010
All Rights Reserved.                                

            Only three short weeks after the Gore’s announced their breakup after 40 years of marriage, Portland Oregon authorities confirm that the 62-year-old former vice president was investigated for “unwanted sexual contact” over four years ago.  While Portland authorities dropped their case for a lack of evidence, the revelation shreds Gore’s June 1 press release that the couple would split up amicably, having simply grown apart.  Gore nearly rode to the presidency in 2000, losing to former President George W. Bush in a disputed election, eventually handed to Bush by the U.S. Supreme Court.  Since planting an interminable kiss Aug. 16, 2000 on his wife Tipper, Gore sold himself as a happy family man, unlike his boss former President Bill Clinton, whose affair with former White House Monica Lewinsky practically took down his presidency.  Now Gore, a Nobel laureate, faces his own sex scandal.

            When the Gores announced their breakup June 1, they were very careful to insist that the decision was mutual, supportive and amicable.  “This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration,” read a carefully worded press release.  Tipper, who purchased with Al a $10 million Montecito, Calif. estate in 2009, may have decided she couldn’t take the humiliation of her husband’s infidelity, agreeing, in principle, to the idea of a a soc-called mutual divorce.  “We ask for respect for our family and we do not intend to comment further,” slamming the lid on further press coverage, hoping to suppress the 2006 incident involving a hotel masseuse.  Portland police indicated they were recently contacted by an attorney “and said he had a client that wanted to report and unwanted sexual contact by Mr. Gore.”

            Flying under the radar for four years stunned the media, for whom the Gore’s June 1 press release seemed phony or at least suspicious.  Forty-year marriages don’t end amicably unless there’s a lot of dirt.  Gore’s squeaky-clear image didn’t jibe with recent press reports about unwanted sexual advances.  Telling the police “they were pursuing civil litigation,” the alleged victim’s attorney played hardball, trying to exact an out-of-court settlement.  “We ere told the woman was not willing to be interviews by the Portland Police Bureau and did not want a criminal investigation to proceed,” read a statement by Multnomah District Attorney Michael D. Schrunk.  News of pending civil litigation suggests that the victim’s attorney went public because ongoing efforts to extract a settlement hadn’t gone well.  Had a settlement been reached, it’s doubtful the victim’s attorney would have gone public.

            Gore’s June 1 press release raised the typical red flags seen during the Clinton years where any implausible press release served as a smokescreen to cover up the truth.  Gore, who received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on “climate change” and named “Time Magazine’s” 2007 Person of the Year, learned will from his boss how to use the media to cover his tracks.  Imploring the press to respect his privacy, Gore exposed himself to more scrutiny, now revealing at least some of the not-so-idyllic parts of his marriage to Tipper.  Whether the Portland police’s story is credible or not, the fact that the former veep was in a Portland hotel room at night under and alias “Mr. Stone” raises far more suspicions than his press release alleviates.  No one expects Gore to remain celibate while he takes his “Climate Change” show on the road, only to stop blowing smoke about his marriage.

            During his tenure as vice president, Gore heard endless accusations about Bill’s dalliances, including allegations of sexual aggression and rape by Paula Corbin Jones and Juanita Broderick.  When the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke January 17, 1998, it engulfed the White House until the U.S. Senate finally acquitted the president Feb. 12, 1999, already into a heated presidential election cycle.  As the campaign wore on, Gore was considered a shoe-in because the Clinton’s successful economy.  But, like radioactivity, Clinton-fatigue over the seemingly endless Lewinsky scandal eventually torpedoed Gore’s chances against GOP challenger George W. Bush.  Poor debate performances also didn’t help Gore’s cause.  Gore’s recent sexual allegations taint his otherwise strong credibility, despite some scientific objections to his theories of global warming and climate change.   

           Recent press reports about Gore’s 2006 alleged sexual incident in a Portland hotel room indicate that negotiations headed south, prompting the victim’s defense attorney to go public.  Blackmailing celebrities isn’t the best way to win friend and influence people especially if you’re trying to negotiate a civil settlement.  “This case is exceptionally cleared as [the woman] refuse to cooperate with the investigation or even report a crime,” states the Portland police report.  After refusing to come forward in 2007, the victim suddenly came forward again in 2009, giving the police yet another story.  After careful consideration, the police dropped the investigation.  Behind the scenes, the victim’s attorney apparently got slapped by Gore’s counsel, refused to cough up the cash and decided to retaliate.  Unfortunately for the former VP, with or without his Nobel Prize, he’s lost credibility.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.