Mandel Ngan—AFP
U.S. president says there is no mechanism to revoke comedian’s Presidential Medal of Freedom.
U.S. President Barack Obama weighed in Wednesday on the Bill Cosby sex assault scandal, saying that drugging and having sex with someone without consent—a scenario that parallels allegations made against the comedian—amounts to rape.
Obama made the remarks at a White House press conference when asked whether he would revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom bestowed in 2002 on Cosby, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women and spanning four decades. “There’s no precedent for revoking a medal. We don’t have that mechanism,” Obama said, stressing that it was his policy not to comment “on the specifics of cases where there might still be, if not criminal, then civil issues involved.”
“I’ll say this: 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.”
The 77-year-old Cosby was a cultural megastar—brilliant comedian, groundbreaking actor, and star of The Cosby Show, a hit 1980s family sitcom. But since about 20 women have come forward accusing him of sexual assault or rape, he has turned into somewhat of a pariah.
Obama’s withering, if indirect, criticism came awkwardly near the end of a press conference about the Iran nuclear deal. Hovering in the air during Obama’s remarks was the recognition made by some observers that The Cosby Show, about an upwardly mobile black family in which Cosby played the trusted patriarch, helped change American attitudes about race and pave the way for an Obama candidacy in 2008.
In the most recent Cosby revelation, which came via court documents that were unsealed earlier this month following a request by the Associated Press, Cosby admitted supplying powerful sedatives to a woman in order to have sex with her.
Cosby’s lawyers had long sought to block publication of the court transcripts, arguing that his right to privacy meant the records should be kept sealed. But U.S. District Court Judge Eduardo Robreno rejected that argument, citing the contrast between “Bill Cosby, the public moralist and Bill Cosby, the subject of serious allegations concerning improper [and perhaps criminal] conduct.”
In the deposition, Cosby said: “I meet Ms. [T, whose name was redacted to preserve her anonymity] in Las Vegas. She meets me back stage. I give her Quaaludes,” he said. “We then have sex.”
Reaction to Obama’s comments was swift. “By President Obama’s own definition, Bill Cosby is a rapist,” said Angela Rose, head of Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment, which is leading an effort to revoke Cosby’s medal. “This is a catalyst moment in our nation’s history. We need to send a message to the youth of America that drug facilitated sexual assault cannot be celebrated.”
Beverly Johnson, a former top model who wrote in December’s Vanity Fair that Cosby drugged her, posted on Twitter: “President Obama states on TV that drugging and having sex with a woman after is called Rape!!!”
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COSBY BILL now accused of drugging and raping 49 women in various countries.
AMERICA IS ON TRIAL and the entire world is watching to see what will happen!
Please CARE: HELP eliminate the “Rape Culture” TODAY.
We must never ever grow tired of hearing about or defending these victims.
These victims represent all of us, our families, our children, our daughters.
Talk to people; contact Governments, Media, Celebrities, Friends, etc…
Share this message with everyone. Why, VICTIMS MATTER. Thank you for caring.
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NOW AMERICA IS ON TRIAL and the entire world is watching to see what will happen! This is not a race issue, it never was. This is about the rich and powerful and corrupt governments. “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely”. The Cosby’s are likely guilty of somnophilia, necrophilia, pedophilia, incest, murder, corruption and bribery. Their potential depths of depravity are endless. Sociopaths lack conscience, empathy, remorse, guilt or shame. The Cosby’s believe they are entitled to do whatever they want because of their fame, wealth and power. The Cosby’s are sociopaths, they will never apologize and they don’t care. These two likely felons have been lying to themselves and everyone else for fifty years. Every time these perverts and their pathetic lawyers cough up a new lie they just put another nail in their coffins. They are becoming both pathetic and not so funny at the same time. They are way passed any chance at damage control. Cosby’s lawyers are now just milk them dry. Prosecuted or not the Cosby’s are done. The Cosby’s are now known as accused international serial rapists awaiting prosecution in America. If America refuses to prosecute serial rapists perhaps another more advanced country is prepared to! I couldn’t care less about Bill Cosby and his enabler and likely accomplice wife Camille.
I DO CARE ABOUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN AMERICA and everywhere else as well. If just one serial rapist slips through the cracks and avoids prosecution, that’s one to many. Cosby being an accused international serial rapist has unintentionally given America an unprecedented opportunity to correct a home grown injustice! It’s never too late to prosecute accused serial rapists. Americans just need the intestinal fortitude to do so. Set a new precedence, if need be, and make it right. It is that simple. Don’t accept anything less from the legal community, they caused and own this injustice, make them fix it. When people say there is nothing we can do, replace them. The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are ultimately accountable for correcting this injustice. Rape must never be condoned, not during wars and definitely not in any civilized country. What kind of governments throws thousands of rape victims under the bus to intentionally protect serial rapists from prosecution! These governments must clarify and or fix these flawed statutes of limitations retroactively excluding SERIAL RAPISTS who were never intended to be protected from prosecution. Because none of us are above the law, these statutes and those responsible for enacting them are deserving of an independent investigation for possible felony charges. STOP blaming the victims. At the very least a prosecuted accused serial rapist will be confirmed innocent or be convicted a serial rapist. At the end of the day our choices are obvious, do nothing, shoot the messenger or fight for justice. Who do you think we should protect serial rapists or victims? We are all victims when any serial rapist escapes justice. Let’s hope most Americas will choose to fight for the victims and justice.
I WILL USE EVERY OPPORTUNITY there is to promote this message of hope for victims and the innocent accused. THANK YOU for having taken the time to read this message of hope, for caring and especially for sharing this message.