Assuming that the sources are trustworthy, and I trust the NYT in their due diligence on this, what incentive is there for the sources to lie about an admission

Assuming that the sources are trustworthy, and I trust the NYT in their due diligence on this, what incentive is there for the sources to lie about an admission of responsibility? Personally I don’t see one. If it was the opposite I might be more skeptical.