The course of events with the first accuser doesn't seem like a witch hunt to me:
Dude contacts Sesame Street and meets with them about the accusation.
Dude gets his own lawyer after the first meeting with Sesame Street's lawyers.
Kevin Clash gets disciplined for what may expose Sesame Street to some degree of liability - emailing the accuser using company email.
Kevin Clash pays the guy $125,000 to say they didn't fuck until after he was 18.