Dishonest republican interrupts chef and newspaperman (7)
I believe the answer is:
crooked
'dishonest' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'republican interrupts chef and newspaperman' is the wordplay.
'republican' becomes 'R' (abbreviation).
'interrupts' indicates putting letters inside.
'chef' becomes 'cook' (both can mean someone who cooks).
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'newspaperman' becomes 'ed'.
'r' put into 'cook' is 'crook'.
'crook'+'ed'='CROOKED'
(Other definitions for crooked that I've seen before include "Awry - untrustworthy" , "Misshapen" , "Distorted or dishonest" , "Bent; dishonest" , "Warped" .)