The deception is they’ve said they are creating a perception that these guys are coming on board one by one rather than they’ve already made the decision. Yes, they announced the deception. But to those who don’t follow closely, the perception will be these guys are coming to endorse Cruz one by one when in fact that’s not how it happened.
No, according to the article, they are "creating the perception of momentum". That is not the same thing as creating the perception that they are deciding one by one...
And by the way, the statement about them “creating a perception” is from the author of the article, not from the group...