I'm thinking The New Yorker is saying that is a "fake denial."
What Collins has said ....
An intermediary contacted her.
They were told she would think about a meeting with the accuser or her lawyer.
They were told the lawyer or the accuser should contact the committee doing the confirmation hearing. Collins is not a member of the Armed Services Committee.
Collins says she never heard back.
'I'll think about it' and the suggestion to contact the confirmation hearing committee instead and not hearing back from the intermediary, the accuser or her lawyer doesn't come across as a declination.