This dates back to something Jaime said before. Ad refreshed by lord tarley again this season
"I swore an oath to the king and I swore an oath to my family. The king instructs me to kill my family, where does my oath go to first"
Something deeper is a saying in throughout history
"A man cannot serve two masters"
Something Ned says to Jaime
"You served the king when serving was easy"
And to sum all of it up.
"A lie is a lie is a lie"
In other words, the reason why you are lying does not matter. You are lying.
You can't be out here with your family name pledged to the king, serving him well, then break your oath cause he killed your family. You didn't break your oath when he was burning everyone else's family now did you?
Then you pledge yourself to Robert the king. But you keep secrets and lie and deceive him by hiding Jon. You lie and deceive your own family, your nephew and pretty much the world. Because you now feel you have a stronger oath to your sister.
You go to kings landing. You are sworn hand to the king. Yet you keep info away from him and warn his enemies. Enemies you believe have killed your mentor and have fukked behind the kings back and thrown your kid out the window.
Now you're locked up. You tell another lie to get yourself and family out of the trouble you put your own self in family in by not confessing to Robert in the first place. You tell an entire city these lies to save your daughter.
Was Ned honorable. I'm sure he was. He also did a lot of oath breaking and fence hopping and lying to benefit who he saw fit.
He ain't walking around here with his shyt smelling clean either