Sounds like we had similar mentors at some points early in our respective careers.
I think that the person who last responded told me that they didn't follow their procedures because they felt they could mitigate the problem. Sort of like we know better than the rules that govern our operations so trust us. I think that I may have gotten as much of an admission that they didn't follow their own rules as they are likely to voluntarily provide.
It should be interesting to see if they refuse to tell me what is going on or not. If they refuse, I am not sure if I should repeat my request with a cc to FERC/NERC/WECC/ one of my US Senators or some newspaper reporters. Choices, choice, choices.