Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Monday night confirmed, on the record, news reports that her progressive rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), told her at a private meeting that he did not believe a woman could win in 2020. 

“Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate. I thought a woman could win; he disagreed,” Warren wrote in a statement released through her spokeswoman Kristen Orthman. “I have no interest in discussing this private meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than our differences on punditry.” 

Earlier in the day, Sanders vehemently denied the claim, saying that it was “ludicrous” and went on to accuse “staff who weren’t in the room” of “lying about what happened.”