Intruder,
I'm quite certain that the hold entry is not permitted above FL50.
On the charts, there is written Zp=5000ft which means that the maximum altitude for entry is at FL50, otherwise you might enter AWYs, TMAs, MIL's zones etc where you're not supposed to be.
Anyway, the way the ATC reacted after their self-granted descent shows that it was at least implicit in the first message. I'm not saying it was correct
And using the MSA to descend on an approach doesn't mean you have to get down to it, I believe Spud3 wanted to use it as a reference for terrain clearance only.