A sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden has ignited a firestorm of controversy

Last year, several women came forward publicly to say Joe Biden had kissed or touched them in ways that made them uncomfortable.

One of them was Tara Reade, who said Biden used to “put his hand on my shoulder and run his finger up my neck” when she worked in his Senate office in 1993.

Reade now says there was more to her experience with Biden. In an interview with podcast host Katie Halper, which aired Wednesday, Reade says Biden sexually assaulted her, pushing her against a wall and penetrating her with his fingers. When she pulled away, she says, he said he thought she “liked” him.

“It was like an earthquake,” Reade told Vox. “I was so excited about this job,” she said. “I thought this was my future, and so when that happened I felt, it’s like someone pulling the rug out.”

Biden’s campaign on Friday denied Reade’s allegation. “Women have a right to tell their story, and reporters have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims,” deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement. “We encourage them to do so, because these accusations are false.”

Last year, a few days after women began coming forward with reports of inappropriate touching by him, the former vice president issued a statement saying that “social norms have begun to change” around people’s personal space and that he would be more mindful of boundaries in the future.