Gore Sex Scandal: National Enquirer Never Paid Masseuse $1 Million

The Oregon masseuse accusing Al Gore of sexual assault apparently took a page out of the Dr. Evil playbook by demanding $1 million for her story. But even though the National Enquirer conducted a brief interview with her, the tabloid’s executive editor, Barry Levine, said “no money exchanged hands.” Levine also said that it did not try to obtain a comment from Gore’s office for fear that he would issue a preemptive statement and cost the paper an exclusive. Although the fact that the woman waited two years before speaking to authorities has cast some doubt over the story, the Enquirer stood by its decision to publish it now: "We felt, if this was in legitimate police documents, that was a story that should be brought to the surface. We felt this was a significant story involving a very powerful man."