[thaumasiotes]

The bees weren't just a ruse for them to raid the factory. They investigated him for illegal runoff based on speculation in the New York Times that that was how the bees were turning red, even though the cause of the red bees had already been determined to be something else.

Usually, when you have a pretext to do something, at least the pretextual reason is, you know, true.

[coldtea]

>Usually, when you have a pretext to do something, at least the pretextual reason is, you know, true.

Which is a worse kind of lie that directly lying (as it cheapens truth into a mere pretext), and which he correctly characterized as a "ruse".