Nearly a year ago, journalist E. Jean Carroll wrote an essay in which she publicly accused the president of the United States of sexually assaulting her in a dressing room more than two decades ago. The accused, or rather, his press team, called it “false.” There was no evidence Carroll could point to — how could there be? — except for two people she had told at the time, who confirmed the memory to New York magazine.

The story was left off the front pages of the nation’s top newspapers, including the New York Times, which banished it to its book section, and was nowhere to be found among the 164 stories on the paper’s homepage (executive editor Dean Baquet later admitted the Times had been “overly cautious” and had underplayed the story). On TV, the Sunday shows largely gave it a pass. The most powerful man in the world had been credibly accused of sexual assault, and no one seemed to care.

Fast-forward nine months later. A woman has come forward to publicly accuse the frontrunner to become the next president of the United States of sexually assaulting her in a Senate office more than two decades ago. The accused’s team has called the story “false.” There is no evidence, except the two people still living whom the accuser confided in at the time, who confirmed to the Intercept their memory of being told the story.