By TEMILADE ENIOLA
President Barack Obama described giving someone a drug without their knowledge and then having non-consensual sex with them was “rape.”
However, he refused to comment on the numerous allegations of sexual assault against Bill Cosby.
Obama spoke at a press conference was initially asked whether he would strip Cosby of the Medal of Freedom awarded to him in 2002. “With respect to the medal of freedom. There’s no precedent for revoking a medal – we don’t have that mechanism,” Obama said. He then paused and discussed sexual assault in general, without specifically mentioning Cosby by name.
“And as you know I tend to make it a policy not to comment on the specifics of cases where there might still be – if not criminal than civil issues involved,” Obama said. “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.”
Last week, a deposition from 2005 was released in which Cosby admitted under oath to acquiring Quaaludes with the intent of giving them to women with whom he was interested in having sex.
