TYB
The issue isn't whether he said it, it's whether he meant to say it.
The back peddle will be that he misspoke, that he meant to say something else.
There's probably not even any point asking him if he meant to say it. Of course he's going to deny it. But to me, that slip of the tongue is an indication of "other knowledge".
Not a single pepe though, disappointingly.
I doubt this person even exists. "make your enemy think his friend is his enemy" - Sun… oh nah, I just made that up, but it could be in there!