You’re not a coward, that comment is horrible advice.

It’s good for “oh I oughtta…!” online, but in real life there are significantly more professional/adult ways of solving the problem than asking semi-rhetorical questions that barely make sense in the hopes of guiding someone toward the desired outcome.

Asking “what does the employee handbook say about X??” isn’t a “gotcha.” You can literally go look, then tell us.

It’s ok to ask not to be recorded in a small meeting. You don’t need to bring up your unfamiliarity with the employee handbook.