Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said the 2016 election was going to be "about trust," despite his boss being viewed as dishonest by more than half the country.
Yahoo news anchor Katie Couric asked Mook how Clinton would address that particular problem with the public, particularly in light of the email scandal that has dogged her for more than a year.
"And what about the trustworthiness issue?" Couric asked. "I'm sure you've been asked this time and time again, but 57 percent of all voters say they don't trust her, partially because of the email controversy and the ongoing FBI investigation. As this swirls around her, how do you effectively counter that perception?"
"Well, the Republicans, particularly the House Republicans, are trying to dust up this email pseudo-controversy," Mook said.
"So how do you fight that?" Couric asked.
"Well, because, actually I think this election will be about trust," Mook said. "I think it's about who voters can trust to fight on their side, make their life better, help them afford health care, help them afford college. That's what this election will be about."
Mook said Republican candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) couldn't be counted on in the same way.
"So you're going to use the questions about her trustworthiness, you're planning to flip that and emphasize trust in the general?" Couric asked.
"The issue is that the House Republicans, through partisan attacks, are trying to throw her character into question," Mook said. "All of these claims are bogus. She sat in front of a Republican committee for 11 hours on these controversies, on Benghazi and emails ... Absolutely, let's make this about who voters trust to fight for them, and that's going to be Hillary Clinton."
Clinton won the New York primary Tuesday and appears headed for clinching the Democratic nomination, but she has consistently lost voters by wide margins to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) who cite honesty and trustworthiness as key factors in their preferred candidate.