Hillary Clinton Health Questions Divide Mainstream Media As Conspiracy Rumors Persist

Hillary Clinton has tried to move on, but the rumors surrounding her health just will not go away.

Critics point to her 2012 concussion and claim that certain mannerisms and frequent coughing are indicators of subsequent illness. Alt-right news sources such as Breitbart and Infowars even go as far as to claim Clinton is close to death and reports to the contrary are a cover-up. The mainstream media has largely written off the rumors that Clinton is too sick to be president, but even some mainstream media voices think Clinton should set the record straight.

"She has to break this cycle about the server, about her truthfulness, and I would suggest that she open up, that she starts holding press conferences, release her medical records, and spend an hour with the press talking about her health," Carl Bernstein, the former Washington Post reporter famous for linking President Rickard Nixon to the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s, told CNN Thursday.

As is customary for presidential candidates, Clinton released a detailed letter from her personal physician vouching for her good health when she launched her campaign last year. There has been no concrete evidence since then to indicate Clinton is not well.

Conspiracy theorists point to certain physicial ticks, however, such as Clinton's head shaking during one confrontation with the press, and somewhat frequent coughing fits on the campaign trail, as evidence that she is hiding something. Republican candidate Donald Trump has stoked those sentiments by claiming Clinton does not have the "stamina" to serve as president.

"It's always been an odd argument to make: A 68-year-old woman running for president with blood clots who suffered a concussion in recent years isn't allowed to have her medical condition questioned or even broached," wrote Joe Concha for The Hill and CNBC last week. "For example, she's on Coumadin, a medication to prevent blood clots. You have to monitor that and it says she's being monitored regularly, I'd like to know how well she's being controlled. That's a difficult drug to use."

As for Trump, the 70-year-old GOP nominee has faced far less questions about his own health than the younger Clinton. Trump's physician's letter was also substantially more vague than hers, claiming Trump would be the healthiest president ever elected into office.

Political reporter Chris Cilliza penned an editorial for The Washington Post Tuesday titled "Can We Just Stop Talking About Hillary Clinton’s Health Now?" In the piece, Cilliza references the detailed letter from Clinton's physician vouching for her good health and the lack of evidence behind claims that Clinton's somewhat frequent coughing on the campaign trail is evidence of something sinister.

"This is a totally ridiculous issue — for lots of reasons — and one that if Trump or his Republican surrogates continue to focus on is a surefire loser in the fall," wrote Cilliza. "To believe that something is seriously wrong with Clinton, you have to a) assume her doctor lied and b) that her coughing, which often happens when someone catches a cold or spends a lot of time speaking publicly, is a symptom of her deeper, hidden illness."

For her part, Clinton has largely laughed off questions about her health. Clinton said the debate made "no sense" during an appearance on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in August.

"Back in October, the National Enquirer said I'd be dead in six months. So with every breath I take I feel like it's a new lease on life," Clinton told Kimmel. "I do feel sometimes like this campaign has entered into an alternative universe. I don't know why they are saying this. I think on the one hand it's part of the wacky strategy. On the other hand, it absolutely makes no sense."

Kimmel, not satisfied, made Clinton prove her good health — by making her open a new jar of pickles. Clinton obliged.