Am I being BS'ed? I cannot get access to the NEC code book to research
this myself. My county uses the 2002 NEC.
Thanks in advance for any input.

There is a problem, but without knowing the wire size, it is hard to say
what.
If the wire is #14, the outlet must be 15a. This is potentially dangerous
because if you plugged a 20a load in, it could start a fire if the 15a
breaker didn't trip; though this is unlikely since the breaker should trip.
If the wire is #12 then the breaker should be 20a. This is harmless, but a
20a load (should you ever find one) will trip the breaker.

Possible they intended it as a 20a circuit, but when they added the 15a
GFCI, they changed the breaker to a 15a. What is the wire size?

BTW, unless the single receptacle is in a place where it will be permanently
used by a refrigerator (or similar) it must be GFCI protected. If you
change it, it must be to a GFCI outlet.