British home secretary under fire for making joke about date rape drug
ABC News
British Home Secretary James Cleverly is under fire for making a date rape joke at a party just hours after announcing plans to crack down on the offense
LONDON -- British Home Secretary James Cleverly was under fire Sunday for joking about date rape just hours after announcing plans to crack down on what he had dubbed a “perverse” offense.
Cleverly, who oversees national security and law enforcement in England and Wales, faced a call to step down after he reportedly joked at an event at the prime minister’s home about drugging his wife.
He told women guests at a Dec. 18 reception that the secret to a long marriage was having a spouse who “is always mildly sedated so she can never realize there are better men out there,” the Sunday Mirror newspaper reported.
Cleverly said "a little bit of Rohypnol" — the so-called date rape drug — "in her drink every night” was “not really illegal if it’s only a little bit.”
The drug, colloquially known as a roofie when it is crushed and put into someone's beverage without their knowledge, makes the subject drowsy and can lead to unconsciousness and memory loss.
