And there are many other modes of "men of lashon hara" speaking by deceit, e.g., speaking "innocently" of their friends as if they did not know that what they spoke was lashon hara, or that these were the acts of Ploni [his friend], etc. All such and their like are in the category of lashon hara.
וְיֵשׁ עוֹד הַרְבֵּה אֳפָנִים בְּבַעֲלֵי לָשׁוֹן הָרָע הַמְסַפְּרִין דֶּרֶךְ רַמָּאוּת. וְהוּא, שֶׁמְּסַפְּרִין הָעִנְיָן לְפִי (ה) תֻּמָּן עַל חַבְרֵיהֶן, כְּאִלּוּ אֵינָם יוֹדְעִין שֶׁדָּבָר זֶה שֶׁדִּבְּרוּ לָשׁוֹן הָרָע הוּא, אוֹ שֶׁאֵלּוּ מַעֲשָׂיו שֶׁל פְּלוֹנִי, כָּל זֶה וְכַיּוֹצֵּא בָּזֶה בִּכְלַל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע הוּא.
And there are many other modes of "men of lashon hara" speaking by deceit, e.g., speaking "innocently" of their friends as if they did not know that what they spoke was lashon hara, or that these were the acts of Ploni [his friend], etc. All such and their like are in the category of lashon hara.