No, having said it was and then shortly after that it wasn't, and then eventually after 3 months that indeed it was. It feels like, after the first candid resp

No, having said it was and then shortly after that it wasn't, and then eventually after 3 months that indeed it was. It feels like, after the first candid response, somebody higher up went "oops, this looks bad, deny everything!", and eventually retracted it because the guy wouldn't give up. Looks like the sort of misunderstanding that Pied Piper might find themselves into, to be charitable.