Hillary Clinton dusts off the ‘vast right-wing conspiracy’ charge. Does she have a point?

[Commentary] In her interview with CNN's Brianna Keilar that aired on July 7, Hillary Clinton returned to the theme of blaming a vast right-wing conspiracy. Asked by Keilar if she understood why Americans "don't believe that you're honest and trustworthy," Clinton pointed to a "constant barrage of attacks that are largely fomented by and coming from the right." Since 2014, the perception of Clinton as being dishonest and untrustworthy has indeed increased, according to a series of national polls. The question: To what extent is a "constant barrage of attacks" from the right actually responsible for those drops?

Keilar was quick to identify two issues that may have played a role in shifting opinion on Clinton's honesty: Questions about fundraising by the Clinton Foundation and Clinton's decision to use a private e-mail server while secretary of state. Each issue has generated thousands of news articles since they rose to national attention in 2015 -- and each has been explored and expanded upon by both the mainstream and conservative media. There simply isn't enough information to determine clearly when people started changing their minds on Clinton being trustworthy and why they did so. Which allows Clinton to revert to her old defense: That her opponents are to blame.