I don't think CBT itself is manipulative. I did CBT for a short while, before my T realized I didn't have an anxiety disorder.

We would take apart specific situations, and think about them rationally. That was a discussion like you'd have in psychodynamic therapy, my T helped me explore how I felt about the situation.
Then based on that analysis we would try to reframe my thoughts. For example I might feel scared and sad because I had a conversation with my mom, and obsess over the fact that I might have upset her. My T would talk to me about it, help me see that if she is upset then that's kind of her issue, and I have to sit with the feeling of guilt for a bit, but that my mom ultimately will still love me. And when I think that I calm down, because I know it's okay to have these feelings, even if they are negative.

Only having positive emotions is as unhealthy as having too many negative ones. Negative thoughts and emotions are to some degree normal. I do not think 'right/wrong' decisions should be part of therapy, it's about integrating both positive and negative aspects and making them coexist in a way. I personally did not feel as though CBT tried to push distinctions between right and wrong onto me, but maybe I just did not do it for long enough.