He's right that people higher up do these things more because they can get away with it, but I'm not sure that makes it a signal. These people are in an environ

He's right that people higher up do these things more because they can get away with it, but I'm not sure that makes it a signal. These people are in an environment that allows them to do it, so they do. People who won't get away with it would tend to think better of it, before losing their job or some other reasonably dire consequence.