Is this a lie?

In Cheney's interview with Tim Russert on Sunday, he denied having any financial interest in Halliburton.

Then yesterday, Reuters published a story on how he has received hundreds of thousands of dollars since taking office as VP.

When asked to explain this, a spokesperson for Cheney said that the moneys he's received are his deferred compensation payments from the company.

Some people think Cheney lied by claiming that he has no financial interest in Halliburton while he continues to receive deffered compensation.

Thoughts? If I quit a job and work out a compensation plan, can I be considered to have a financial interest in the company because I continue to receive compensation after I've left my position? Or is it comparable to being paid in installments rather than a lump sum, once I leave?

It will come to no surprise to anyone when I say that I think Cheney is an upstanding, honorable individual. And I tend to think that his compensation plan is not indicative of financial interest in Halliburton. However, I can see how those who are suspicious of Cheney would disagree. My question is, why be suspicious of him in the first place? Perhaps someone has a good answer, but I don't know of one.