While this is true, I find the dismissive attitude disrespectful. The least he could do is look into it. Seems like he just doesn't care.
Exactly. His response is something that I would expect from a bratty high school kid. Staying quiet or simply saying "I'm looking into this" would've been infinitely better.
I agree. He seems to be fully engaged in preserving plausible deniability (which he may well be entitled to, or may have been up until now). And I agree with thenewgreen that he may well be following protocol established exactly for these types of situations -- which does not even remotely absolve him. Complicity is a many tentacled terror.
My guess is that if he openly admits looking in to it, he opens a pandora box of these types of assertions. He has people that will likely look on to it.