Cynical

I heard an interview in which Herb Needleman, the man who discovered the bad effects of lead on children, described the vicious attack that the lead industry mounted against him. They falsely accused him of scientific misconduct.

Describing witnesses at his hearing, Needleman said that it became clear that they didn't know what they were talking about -- or more likely were cynical.

By cynical, he meant dishonest, but those words are not synonyms. A cynical person  is one who habitually distrusts the motives of others. A person who merits this distrust is dishonest, not cynical.