In this scenario, you are the HR Officer of our company, and Employee A is a fictional character who arranged a meeting with you after learning that their colleague, Employee B, in the same role just got a promotion. Employee A did not get a promotion, but they have been lobbying for one for a while. How would you respond?

 Employee A: I was really annoyed to learn that Employee B got a promotion. I’ve been in this role longer. I’ve worked extra hours. I know Employee B is a friend of the manager’s. I’ve asked for a promotion in the past three months but I was told there was no budget. Why wasn’t I considered for this?

Considering HR would have most likely been involved with signing off on the promotion....is it possible to say that I would look into the manager's intentions? Or just keep it as neutral as possible?