Al Gore Had Reservations About Selling Current TV to Al Jazeera, Court Papers Say

Al Gore and his business partners had "serious reservations" about selling Current TV to Al Jazeera, but ultimately overcame them because they believed the US was likely to influence the Qatar-backed broadcaster more than the other way around, according to court papers.

Gore and Joel Hyatt overcame their reluctance to sell to Al Jazeera after due diligence that included "consultations with several former senior US government officials" and discussions with Al Jazeera. They ultimately decided that Al Jazeera's "large-scale entrance into the United States mass marketplace…could help foster deeper mutual understanding between the United States and Arab World." Gore and Hyatt are alleging that Al Jazeera attempted to "seize" $65 million in escrow funds relating to the sale.