Can you not use gaslight in place of dishonest? I know it's popular, but the behavior really needs it's own word. Also, nothing about a corp stretching the truth is hard to understand for people, I hope.

I'm cautious of diluting that word too. in this case I'm looking at it more as a future distortion of reality where they continue to say they were forced to do something that they were not forced to do.

all gaslighting is a subset of dishonesty.

Gaslighting is: "a specific type of manipulation where the manipulator is trying to get someone else (or a group of people) to question their own reality, memory or perceptions. "

Is that what you intended to say? Is someone manipulating your memories? Are you questioning your own reality after parent's comments?

"they were running a business but they were forced to change that business due to onerous laws"

is how I imagine the perception would be, but that perception is false because they only said they were forced but instead just chose to try to hold the democracy for ransom