New York (CNN Business) A version of this article first appeared in the "Reliable Sources" newsletter. You can sign up for free right here.

Appearing before Congress Thursday, Fiona Hill deflated right-wing conspiracy theories that Ukraine, and not necessarily Russia, meddled in the 2016 election. Hill said it was a "fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves."

Hill even called out "some" members of the House Intelligence Committee who have bought into the discredited theory, and noted that even when such misinformation is used for domestic political purposes it is harmful. "I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the Ukrainian government is a US adversary, and that Ukraine, not Russia, attacked us in 2016," she said.

...But will it matter?

While Hill took apart the idea that Ukraine was responsible for the real election meddling in 2016, it's unclear how much it will matter. The people who most need to hear her message were told on Thursday by the people they trust most -- personalities in right-wing media -- that she was not to be believed. Hill was attacked. She was smeared. And her expertise was questioned. Read on for a couple examples...

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