Yekke – thank you for clarifying. The thing is that if l’maaseh the fact is the people present “knew” about the background (whether or not it was in fact true), they were in fact “hearing” him be mevazeh a Talmid Chacham. It would seem to me that that MIGHT make his words problematic. (emphasis on might – I don’t want to be guilty of motzi shem ra, since you know the person you are speaking of, so it would be assur for me to say he did something wrong, since it’s possible he didn’t – I am merely raising a possibility – DON’T BE MEKABEL as a fact – I am just trying to figure out what the halacha could be in such a situation).
In any case, this doesn’t mean he actually did something wrong, since his intention was not to be mevazeh a Talmid Chacham, but it would make sense to point out to him respectfully that his words COULD be taken that way.
Maybe that is the answer – don’t be mekabel the LH and don’t think he was intentionally being mezazeh a Talmid Chacham, but simply point out to him respectfully that his words could be heard that way even if he didn’t mean it that way.
Would that have worked in this situation?