President Barack Obama was asked to comment on the Bill Cosby controversy during his press conference today at the White House. While some were hoping that he might revoke the embattled comedian’s Presidential Medal of Freedom, Obama said there was no process to do so.
“There's no precedent for revoking a medal. We don't have that mechanism,” Obama told a reporter, notes ABC News.
Obama said that he would not comment further on the specifics of the allegations Cosby faces. However, he spoke generally about rape and drugs.
"If you give a woman or a man for that matter without his or her knowledge a drug and then have sex with that person without consent, that's rape,” Obama said. “I think this country, any civilized country should have no tolerance for rape."
Since last fall, over 40 women have accused Cosby of raping and drugging them, although the statute of limitations has expired on most of them and the comedian has never been convicted. Last week, 2005 deposition in which Cosby admitted to obtaining Quaaludes to give to women was released.
Cosby was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 during President George W. Bush’s administration. Over 10,000 people have signed a WhiteHouse.org petition started by PAVE, a nonprofit sexual assault prevention organization, calling on Obama to revoke Cosby’s medal.
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