The author was saying that Ames's motives were bad, but that he said his motives were good. The author specifically called Ames a traitor.
Now, the people releasing this information today?...their statements that they are noble are the same statements as a bad actor like Ames. He's saying we can't trust them just because they are claiming noble motives. We have to judge them by their actions.
He was not saying that Ames's motives were patriotic. He was saying that claims of patriotism are often made by bad actors.