This is why, until I see a transcript of the conversation, I'm extremely inclined to believe this is the developer giving the best possible interpretation for their cause. I've spoken to Apple people and they are good at all this stuff in my experience, they know what they can say and what they can't, they're careful, and they're non-committal. Marketing people encouraging us to get our app on the store were still deferential to App Store Review and always reminded us they had the final say, and wouldn't be pinned down to any specifics.