Anyone making such a statement should only do so if they, were in fact, not paid. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. But hey, maybe we should just sit back and let them create a false reality without any push back.

If by “ceding to their narrative” you mean allowing them to dismiss their concerns with an outright lie, which their cult will believe and dismiss those same concerns as a result, then sure

People who go to town halls need to start each statement towards their representative with “I am not being paid by anyone to be here, and if you say otherwise I will pursue legal action against you” then proceed with their question

Checking in and following back!