Bill Cosby asked AP to 'scuttle' question about rape allegations

Bill Cosby asked AP to ‘scuttle’ question about rape allegations

By Brandon Wall

The Associated Press has released new footage of a Nov. 6 interview where Bill Cosby pressures a reporter not to use footage after being asked about sexual assault allegations.

The on-the-record interview was primarily about Cosby’s loan of artwork to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art exhibition. Toward the end of the interview, Cosby was asked about accusations of sexual assault that have recently resurfaced.

“I have to ask about your name coming up in the news recently,” the AP reporter asked.

“No, no, we don’t answer that,” Cosby replied. When asked if he wanted to respond, he said, “there is no response.”

“And I’ll tell you why — I think you were told — I don’t want to compromise your integrity, but we don’t, I don’t, talk about it,” Cosby continued.

Still wearing a microphone as the interview ended, Cosby asked the reporter that none of the allegation questions be shown.

There is a brief conversation between Cosby, the reporter and two people off-screen.

“I would appreciate it if it was scuttled,” Cosby requested.

“I think if you want to consider yourself to be serious, that it will not appear anywhere,” Cosby said. “We thought the AP had the integrity to not ask.”

Cosby was very insistent, telling an unidentified man to get on the phone “immediately” with the reporter’s editor about the segment.

Since the interview, two more women have stepped forward to publicly accuse Cosby of sexual assault.

Watch the segment below: