<p>Q    Thanks, Josh.  A leading sexual assault prevention group, PAVE -- I think they may have worked with the White House on some projects -- is on the Hill today.  They’re endorsing some proposed legislation that would revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Bill Cosby.  And in July, at his press conference, the President said he didn’t have a mechanism to do it, there’s no precedent to do such a thing.  But if Congress established such a mechanism affirming his power to remove the medal from Bill Cosby, would he support something like that?
</p><p>MR. EARNEST:  I haven’t spoken to him about it.  Obviously this is something that Congress will have to consider.  I think, until then, we’ll take a look at the proposal if Congress takes a vote on it and we’ll let you know if the President chooses to sign it.
</p><p>Q    Does the White House consider the medal sort of a settled matter?  I mean, are you open to a proposal of some kind to kind of reexamining this?  Or is it sort of your preference that it’s sort of given and move on?
</p><p>MR. EARNEST:  Well, I certainly wouldn’t want our position on this issue to be perceived by anyone or any group as a way to condone the kind of behavior that Mr. Cosby has been accused of.  At the same time, these kinds of essentially symbolic commemorations are always difficult to deal with.  And you certainly wouldn’t want a scenario where this kind of process would get infused with politics, and you have members -- you have successive Congresses in the future passing pieces of legislation to try to undo medals that have been conferred by previous Presidents that happen to be in the other party.
</p><p>So I think that’s part of what we’re mindful of here, but I think the President was quite clear in that news conference in showing his own personal disgust for the kind of behavior that Mr. Cosby is accused of.  And the President made clear that he doesn’t have any tolerance for it.
</p><p>Q    Is he aware that Bill Cosby was charged in a sex assault case?  Do you know -- has he given any reaction to that?
</p>
MR. EARNEST:  I haven’t discussed it with him.  I’m sure he’s aware of it.
The White House
2016-01-07
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