This is horrifying. According to a recently unearthed testimony that Bill Cosby gave in 2005 in connection with the civil lawsuit filed by Andrea Constand, the Temple University employee who accused Cosby of drugging and molesting her, Cosby admitted, under oath, to intentionally feeding a story to the National Enquirer in exchange for the tabloid not publishing the account of another woman accusing Cosby of sexual assault, Beth Ferrier.
According to AP — who have previously revealed raw video footage showing Cosby attempting to stop an AP reporter from publishing their interview where he refuses to answer questions relating to the rape allegations — Cosby was asked by Constand's lawyer, who was conducting his deposition: "Did you ever think that if Beth Ferrier's story was printed in the National Enquirer, that that would make the public believe that maybe Andrea was also telling the truth?"
He responded that he did, before adding that he had "a contract" with the Enquirer which stated that they would not publish Ferrier's story if he intentionally gave them a story of his own.
"I would give them an exclusive story, my words," Cosby said, in the testimony, "they would not print the story of — print Beth's story." He also admitted that he received a draft of Ferrier's story, as well as an advance copy of the exclusive story he fed to the Enquirer. When asked whether or not he was attempting to make the public not believe Constand's rape allegations in his Enquirer exclusive, Cosby answered a simple "yes."
This is the latest in a string of shocking and horrifying twists in the growing case against Cosby: In recent weeks, multiple women have come forward with new claims that Cosby sexually assaulted and/or drugged them in previous decades.
Cosby's lawyer has previously released a statement slamming the claims, stating:
This continued pattern of attacks on Mr. Cosby has entered the realm of the ridiculous, with a purported “forceful kiss” at a party in 1967, nearly 50 years ago, being treated as a current “news story” and grossly mischaracterized as “sexual assault.” This is utter nonsense. People coming out of nowhere with this sort of inane yarn is what happens in a media-driven feeding frenzy. We’ve reached the point of absurdity. The stories are getting more ridiculous. I think people are trying to come up with these wild stories in order to justify why they have waited 40 to 50 years to disclose these ridiculous accusations.
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