Hillary Clinton given devilish horns on the cover of Time magazine

It was either a curious oversight or an ominous editorial directive, but the cover of Time magazine's latest issue depicts likely 2016 US presidential prospect Hillary Clinton apparently sporting devil's horns.

It is not the first occasion such an image has graced the storied magazine; the position of the 'M' in Time has left to dozens of personalities, including Pope Francis, preacher Billy Graham and Microsoft founder Bill Gates looking as if they too had the satanic features.

A Time reporter tweeted a link to 33 similar covers over the last several years, including one depicting Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton.

But given her troubling week, following revelations Clinton exclusively used a private email account while secretary of state, and that her family foundation received foreign donations, the cover image unveiled on Thursday triggered a flurry of frantic online debate.

"She-Devil 2016: Photoshop lapse? Or subtle editorial statement?" the conservative right-wing magazine National Review posted on Twitter.

The cover depicts a silhouetted Hillary, with the headline "The Clinton Way" and a subhead: "They write their own rules. Will it work this time?"