Love her or not, there is no doubt that Hillary Clinton has been taking quite a hit. Many people seem to find reason after another to criticize her and have developed feelings of mistrust towards her candidacy. While there are common reasons why people think Clinton is "shady," perhaps looking at the facts might shed light upon her shadows, or cast her deeper in the darkness. You decide.

1. The "Benghazi Scandal"

If you have been paying any attention to this presidential election at all, there is no way you haven’t heard the word “Benghazi,” the word has been tossed around like a baseball at Fenway Park. Especially by most republican candidates.

What you need to know: The event involved an attack against four American personnel in a U.S diplomacy building by armed Libyans in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012.

The armed militants set fire to American-run sites as well as shot mortar rounds at a CIA building. Four Americans died during the attack. One of these Americans was ambassador Chis Stevens who died during his rescue. An additional 30 Americans were rescued by American military presence in Tripoli.

It was truly a horrific event that led to the death of very brave and honorable men. Clinton was the Secretary of State at the time and did admit responsibility for the fact that the compounds should have been better guarded

The shady part: While some would have left it at that, the whole thing becomes scandal-worthy as some accuse Clinton of anything from lying about her knowledge of the attack to conspiracies that she had Chris Stevens secretly killed. Rumors even circulate she had the 30 rescued personnel killed as well for "knowing too much."

Some light: While many of these critiques are baseless, what's more alarming is the nature of the committee formed to investigate the Benghazi attack. Not only is it run by a republican, but it has held more hearings than were held for Watergate, Iran-Contra, and is one away from being tied with 9/11.

While it is important to keep government leaders accountable, the investigation seems to be more of a political attack to worsen the image of the female presidential candidate. But hey, maybe Clinton does have something to hide. Nevertheless, it seems that her shadiness may be actually out shady-ed by the very committee investigating her.

Shadiness Rating: 4/10 (Eh)

2. The secret e-mails

What you need to know: The FBI is investigating Clinton over the accusation that she received and sent classified emails using her own private email account, which is in violation of the law.

The shady part: Clinton's email investigation has been such a mess that even Bernie Sanders has said that "America is tired of hearing about it." However, some believe that the former Secretary of State used her private email account because it would protect her from the Freedom of Information Act, which gives people the right to view federal documents. If that is true, maybe Clinton was hiding those secret Benghazi operations in there?

Some light: The thing is, the whole situation is much more complicated than many believe. As a start, information can be classified in retrospect meaning that what was once non-classified can be later made classified. Clinton has argued that some of the emails believe to be classified were actually made so after she had handled them. In fact, some email information that is argued to be "classified" can be found on the Internet.

If the whole "secret email scandal" still doesn't seem overrated, what you might not know is that the State Department General confirmed that the two past Secretary of States also had "classified" information on their personal email as well.

Overall, while it seems Clinton may have been doing something shady with her email accounts, it might not be as horrific and scandalous as the media is making it appear. While the investigation may reveal that she was hiding incriminating emails, or truly breaking Federal law, so far the facts make it look like the media is trying to sell a story. Besides, we never had this much coverage of Condoleezza Rice's emails.

Shadiness Rating: 5/10 (Hmmm..)

3. Changing her platform

What you need to know: Clinton has changed her position on certain policy issues including same-sex marriage and licenses for undocumented citizens.

The shady part: Though Clinton says that she is a longtime progressive, she recently told a crowd in Ohio that she "pleads guilty to being a moderate." The Sanders campaign has addressed her Ohio speech on Twitter with a tweet saying, "You can be a moderate. You can be a progressive. But you cannot be a moderate and a progressive."

Her change in policy and apparent change in ideology even led Anderson Cooper to ask during a Democratic debate if she would "do anything to get elected." Due to the fact that the former Secretary of State has changed so many of her positions this time around, it does seem as though she is an opportunist willing to support and do whatever it takes to get her elected.

Some light: To the accusation that she will do "anything to get elected," Clinton has responded that although her policy positions have changed, her core values as a candidate have not. she also added that her platform is changing as the times do and that she grows as learns new information.

While some are not convinced by her reply and see her as just someone who "plays politician," perhaps there could be some truth to Clinton's response. She does have a very progressive record of working towards the creation of insurance for children and defending social security from being privatized upon other things.

While it is shady that Hillary Clinton has switched so many policy positions, American society's beliefs and ideologies have been shaped by powerful social movements since her last candidacy in 2008.

Either way, the fact remains that Clinton has changed her political platform and ideologies since her last campaign, and in the Ohio case, seems to lack consistency on a more immediate basis. Perhaps she is just "playing politician" and cannot be trusted to be genuine in her word. However, there is a chance that she may have actually just changed with the times.

Shadiness Rating: 7/10 (Hillary, is that you in that dark alley?)

Whether you think Clinton is shady or not, be sure to consult the facts before you buy into the rampant internet memes and baseless articles out there. Hillary may be under a beacon of light or on the ceiling overlooking American voters as they sleep with the lights out. Whichever you choose to believe, let the facts guide you.

Overall Score: 5.3/10 (Keep an eye on this one)