Whether you’re liberal or conservative, each person in this country is affected by the blatant corruption of the U.S. government; 2016 marked a pivotal point in discovering the inner workings of our democracy, which included exposing prominent members of Congress and their attempt to sway an election.

On Oct. 7, 2016, WikiLeaks, a multinational media organization, began releasing the hacked emails of John Podesta, former chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.  

The contents of these emails revealed some unsettling truths about how Clinton and the Democratic National Committee were running her campaign.  

For example, one email showed an exchange between Podesta and Donna Brazile, former interim DNC chair, the night before a major primary debate. Brazile had access to the CNN debate questions and decided to leak at least three questions to Podesta, giving Clinton a clear advantage over soon-to-be President Donald Trump.  

This is obviously against the law and shows the power of influence between media and members of Congress. Brazile denied the reports four and a half months after the emails were leaked.

All political views aside, this is deliberate undermining of our current governmental system and the American people.

Also, notice the timing on the release date of Podesta’s emails — it seemed like WikiLeaks intentionally leaked them a month before the election, greatly affecting the overall outcome. Even though they were releasing legitimate information, there was obvious political motive behind their actions. Theories suggest the meddling of Russia or possibly other big corporations helped WikiLeaks obtain their information.

Whoever it was, these ulterior motives are illegal and show a menacing side to our nation’s many capabilities.    

This is a topic that should enrage every single citizen of this country.  Our roles in democracy are routinely undermined as seen by the influences of major corporations and foreign countries on the decision making in our government. The ability for third parties to easily sway the outcomes of our major elections and political action is alarming.

I have only listed an incredibly small fraction of examples that reveal the severity of the corruption.  

We cannot allow this behavior in government to proceed any longer because it is only going to get more severe.  

Without our democracy intact, the common citizen is completely helpless and powerless.

Jacob Davis is a guest columnist, contact him at [email protected].