I say no. I don’t know their resumes, but presumably they were at one time, but what they were engaged in at Hadley CRU was not science, and therefore the folks supporting it were not scientists. Maybe they were scientists in their spare time.....
OK, great. What is the definition of a scientist? What degree of deceit (including self-deceit) does it take before you become "un-scientisted"?
And what if you lie about one project but not others?
Cheers!
“What is the definition of a scientist?”
If you publish your findings, conclusions, data, and means of reaching them, no amount of deceit, including self-deceit will matter. Others will be able to recreate and expand on the findings - or failing that, to reach different conclusions.
If you don’t publish your findings, conclusions, data and means of reaching them, you are not engaging in science.