What about the accusation that I was spreading false rumors? That's far more unkind

The guidelines apply to everyone. I didn't like that part of their comment either, and the comment would have been better without it, but they were put on the defensive by what had come before and they went on to explain their position. Your phrase "got caught with your hand in the cookie jar" is a swipe that the thread could also have done without. It's no big deal, and it applies to everyone on the subthread; we want everyone to avoid barbs like that on HN.