Hillary Clinton finally issued an apology for using a personal email account to conduct official State Department business but her apology might have come as a result of focus group findings.

According to The New York Times, Clinton’s aides showed a focus group of New Hampshire independents and Democrats a video of a news conference Clinton held late last month in which she discussed the controversy over her personal email use.

“Participants said they wanted to hear more from Mrs. Clinton about the issue,” wrote The New York Times.

“The focus group also showed that the email issue was drowning out nearly everything else that Mrs. Clinton was hoping to communicate to voters — something Mrs. Clinton and her husband have complained about to friends,” the article states.

On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton admitted to ABC News' David Muir she “could have and should have done a better job answering questions earlier” about her personal email account.

“I really didn’t perhaps appreciate the need to do that," adding that it “was a mistake.”

“I’m sorry about that. I take responsibility.”

Only one day earlier on Monday, Clinton told the Associated Press, she did not need to apologize for the email scandal because the State Department "allowed it."