Obama weighs in on Cosby scandal: Drugging before sex is rape

President Obama on Wednesday weighed in on the sexual assault scandal swirling around comedian Bill Cosby.

Asked during a press conference if he would revoke Cosby’s Medal of Freedom, Obama said such a move would be unprecedented, though he also offered up a definition of rape that alluded to accusations that the comedian drugged and assaulted women over the years.

{mosads}“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 their consent, that’s rape,” Obama said.

“This country — any civilized country — should have no tolerance for rape,” he added.

“I tend to make it a policy not to comment on the specifics of cases where there might still be, if not criminal, then civil issues involved,” he added.

Multiple women have accused “The Cosby Show” performer of sexual misconduct over the years. Cosby, 77, has repeatedly denied the accusations and has never faced any related charges in court.

The scandal returned to the headlines earlier this month when court filings were made public that appeared to show Cosby admitting to giving quaaludes, a sedative drug, to women he desired intercourse with.

Calls have been growing for Obama to strip Cosby of the medal in response to allegations.

Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE) has petitioned the White House urging Obama to revoke the award, which is the nation’s highest civilian honor.

“That award is the most prestigious and honorary award that you can achieve and earn,” Barbara Bowman, a PAVE ambassador, told The Hill.

“The fact that [Cosby] would have an award like that, with other honorable people who have earned it and deserve to keep that award, is beyond comprehension,” she said.

Obama suggested he does not have the power to take the medal away.

“There is no precedent for revoking a medal,” Obama said. “We don’t have that mechanism.”

— Updated at 3:12 p.m.