Well, here is what I think. If the Illinois GOP tried some shenanigans we will hear about it, because he will go public with it. If the leak upset him, he will probably find out who and make sure they are out of the loop from now on.
And if this is simply a reporter's interpretation of a normal exit from a meeting based on trying to shape public opinion, we will know soon enough. I suspect the latter, whether any of the others are true or not.