I'll never know what the full story was but the one time I had a request I wasn't comfortable with and communicated like crazy.... sales manager dude who was brought in with lots of fanfare moved on to other opportunities within two weeks.
Or the old, "I'll go ahead and open a ticket."
It was "regular job" in IT but if you left home before 9pm people were looking wierd at you. Plenty of good folks work there but you know how it is when environment rots you either lower your standard or you out (thats why Im personally out)
My favorite comments by my bullying boss:
If you have family, dont work here.
Everyone here knows they dont see their family till late night, except of you.
You are not C-level managment, you are on a McDonald salary here (altho wasn't tru)
Fine leave at 8 (job description said 8-5), i will write it in your report. Will see how its stacks up against others.
Im a CTO I have a right to be rude.
Im a CTO I can be wrong all the time.
The point is that if you don't create a paper trail, you risk being set up as a fall guy for much worse than being fired. They know it, and you know it, and your safest way out is to make sure that they know that you know that they're asking you to do something inappropriate and that you're smart enough to ensure there's evidence implicating them if they force the issue.
If they get angry or keep making those kind of requests it's a good reason to look for another job anyway, before they find a way of pinning something else on you.