Bill Cosby Admission Update: Sexual Assault Advocacy Group Demands Obama Revoke Bill Cosby's Presidential Medal of Freedom
In light of new revelations that Bill Cosby admitted to buying Quaaludes with the intent to rape women, a sexual violence awareness group is demanding the White House revoke the comedian's Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Cosby, a pioneer in comedy, famed actor and activist, received the nation's highest civilian honor in 2002 by then-President George W. Bush. However, since October 2014, over 20 women have accused the comedian of using sedatives to sexually assault them. Supermodel Beverly Johnson also admitted that Cosby drugged her, but she managed to escape before he could assault her.
Although Cosby has denied the allegations, court documents released on Monday revealed that he confessed to obtaining sedatives to give to women he intended to have sex. Following the discovery, a group called Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment (PAVE) initiated an online petition at WhiteHouse.gov urging Obama to revoke Cosby's Presidential Medal of Freedom.
"The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award bestowed on civilians for their contributions to society. Bill Cosby does not deserve to be on the list of distinguished recipients," according to the petition.
The Chicago-based sexaul assault advocacy group takes issue with the fact that "Cosby admitted to procuring drugs to have sex with women without their consent," which has amassed over 3,400 signatures.
PAVE Executive Director Angela Rose also issued a statement on Wednesday, arguing, "This award was given to Mr. Cosby under false pretenses. The White House was clearly not aware that Cosby would be accused of multiple counts of sexual violence. As such, we urge President Obama to take the unprecedented action of revoking this award and that Bill Cosby's name be expunged from any official lists of recipients."
On Thursday, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said he had not heard about PAVE's petition and does not know if the Obama administration will take action.
"I haven't, at this point, heard any discussion of taking that step," he said, according to USA Today, adding, "I don't know whether or not it's legally possible to do so."
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