I think he honestly didn’t recognize her. She looked (for whatever reason) very differently from Norman (I.e. Not made up or in nice clothes). Maybe he was lying, maybe he didn’t recognize her. A fair media would at least consider the option.
Whether he knew her personally or not he must have remembered pulling on a woman’s arm in that specific circumstance. When the complaint became public you would think he could then put two and two together. Maybe not.
At any rate now you know what he said.