President Obama was asked at Wednesday's White House press conference if he would revoke Bill Cosby's Medal of Freedom in the wake of Cosby's own admission from 2005 that he obtained and offered quaaludes — powerful sedatives — to at least one woman in order to have sex with her.
Dozens of women have gone public with their accusations that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted them.
Obama said Wednesday there was no precedent and mechanism to actually revoke a Medal of Freedom, and cautioned that it would be inappropriate for him to comment on a case where there might be criminal or civil charges.
"I will say this," continued Obama. "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."