The clock may be ticking on Cosby’s Presidential Medal of Freedom as Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) takes to the House floor this Friday. Rep. Gosar plans to introduce a bill that, if passed, would revoke the controversial comedian’s Presidential Medal of Freedom. It would be the first time the country’s highest civilian honor has been revoked.
The clock may be ticking on Cosby’s Presidential Medal of Freedom as Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) takes to the House floor this Friday. Rep. Gosar plans to introduce a bill that, if passed, would revoke the controversial comedian’s Presidential Medal of Freedom. It would be the first time the country’s highest civilian honor has been revoked.
Rep. Gosar’s bill has been in the works since a 2005 deposition was released in July 2015. In the deposition, Bill Cosby admitted to procuring drugs to use on women with whom he wanted to have sex and, in one instance, to actually doing so.
“Cosby has admitted to drugging women in order to satisfy his sexual desires, and, therefore, the Federal government should not recognize Cosby with an honor like the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” according to the bill’s text. Rep. Gosar hopes to add more cosponsors to the bill, which currently has six House supporters. The bill would also make it a crime to display a revoked Medal of Freedom. The penalties for the crime include up to a year in prison.
Former President George W. Bush awarded Cosby the Medal of Freedom in 2002. Rep. Gosar believes that the 40+ allegations of sexual assault against the comedian render him unfit to hold such a high honor.
According to a letter Rep. Gosar wrote inviting other lawmakers to co-sponsor his bill, “To continue honoring Bill Cosby with this prestigious accolade would be an affront to women nationwide, particularly those who were victims of his horrific acts.”
While at least one civil suit has been settled out of court, there were no criminal charges against Cosby until December 30, when he was charged with aggravated indecent assault. The incident in question occurred in 2004 at Cosby’s Pennsylvania home. He and his legal team continue to deny the allegations.
A sexual assault prevention group, Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment (PAVE) asked the President to revoke Cosby’s Medal of Freedom. At a July news conference, President Obama said that there was no mechanism in place to revoke the award.
Despite not being able to act on the request, the President did condemn Cosby’s alleged behavior.
Mr. 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 their consent, that’s rape. This country — any civilized country — should have no tolerance for rape.”
Rep. Gosar’s bill would give the President the mechanism he lacked in July 2015. At the regular White House press briefing last Thursday, President Obama’s press secretary Josh Earnest told the press that if Rep. Gosar’s bill passed, “we’ll take a look.”
Rep. Gosar told Molly K. Hooper of The Hill, “People are very tired of the moral compass of this country not being reestablished, and this is a good bill in regard with messaging that people have to be held accountable for their actions.”
Sources:
Republican pushing to revoke Bill Cosby’s presidential medal
Momentum building to revoke Cosby’s presidential medal, lawmaker says
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