It wasn't a joke, I wasn't trying to make an ass of you, honest. [Only he knows that Miller won't be able to trust that he's telling the truth, not ever again. This is how it always is.

He scampers after him, hoping to salvage something.]

I've been doing recon for years. Decades. It's really hard to switch it off, you know? [But that's not why he lies. He's just lucky to have found a calling where lying is useful and he can employ it frequently.]