Graham appealed the conviction in October, saying that prosecutors distorted facts and acted vindictively toward her during the trial.

It maintained that the senator, who had been regarded as a Vietnam War hero, had distorted facts about his actions during the war.

Murray added of the NetAction survey: "There's no way that the distorted facts in that add up to consumers having less choice."

By now the story had grown to a lurid whole in her imagination, based on a few distorted facts, yet radically and monstrously untrue.