experience knows that the presidents are fully informed and receive updates. When someone in GK's position provides their outlook, they may be incompetent, but that isn't lying. Lying is purposeful, deceitful, etc. GK may have over promised and underdelivered, or markets changed, or his strategy failed, but like you said, no way GK is lying about the status of negotiations.

Lying to the media and Scheer is certainly possible, but no way GK is lying about the status of media negotiations.