Obama asked about Bill Cosby: Should be 'no tolerance for rape'

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama signaled Wednesday he would not seek to revoke the Medal of Freedom granted to the scandalized Bill Cosby, but did address the sexual assault accusations leveled against him, saying there should be “no tolerance for rape.”

The actor and comic has been accused of drugging women and then having sex with them. Obama did not use Cosby’s name when asked if he would revoke Cosby’s medal.

Said Obama, “And with respect to the Medal of Freedom, there is no precedent for revoking a medal. We don’t have that mechanism. And as you know, I tend to make it a policy not to comment on the specifics of — 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, and I think this country, any civilized country, should have no tolerance for rape.”