President Barack Obama was at a press conference on Wednesday fielding questions about the United States' historic nuclear deal with Iran when he was asked an entirely different question: would he revoke Bill Cosby's Presidential Medal of Freedom?
He said there is "no precedent" for revoking the nation's highest civilian award. The president said he wouldn't comment specifically on the allegations against Cosby, but did have something to say about rape in general.
“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. "And I think this country, any civilized country, should have no tolerance for rape.”
Dozens of women have accused Cosby--a comedic icon--of rape and other sexual misconduct, and he recently admitted to giving a woman quaaludes before engaging in some type of sexual intercourse with her, though he did not say whether he gave her the drug without her knowledge.
Former President George W. Bush awarded Cosby the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. According to Whitehouse.gov, the award is the nation's highest civilian honor, "presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."