President Obama is rejecting the idea of taking back Bill Cosby's Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying there's no mechanism in place for such a move.
But -- without specifically accusing the embattled comedian -- the president added that "any civilized country should have no tolerance for rape."
At a Wednesday press conference, Obama was asked about a petition begun by a nonprofit victims' rights group that asked the White House to revoke the honor bestowed on Cosby by President George W. Bush in 2002.
Cosby has been accused by dozens of women of giving them drugs and sexually assaulting them in incidents dating back to when he was a star of "The Cosby Show" and earlier.