This is awesome. When I first read your post, I was confused to how you could miss the entire part where this was two people using the emotionally and politically charged atmosphere at a work environment to screw over another employee for one of their benefit.
I don't know if you were intentional or just trying to counter the point, but not only did you explain how it would be viewed and therefore take down this employee but why we can justify our disdain for him or her in the process even though it would have been no act of his own. I can envision that his denials of the circumstances will be used as further proof of how bad he is and should be let go so I can have his job.
Of course the point was that things can happen completely outside a person's control and be completely false. But hey, because there are some bad actors at some point in time, his crucifixion is justified I guess. Either way, my point remains.