In response, WikiLeaks tweeted, “Obama should submit any Putin documents to WikiLeaks to be authenticated to our standards if he wants them to be seen as credible.”
WikiLeaks, albeit through questionable means, has pulled together and released more relevant information on our government and officials in the last year (not to mention the last decade) than most news reporters will produce in a lifetime of reporting. Nothing is sacred, and while there may be alleged bias in what gets released and when it gets released, there is no disputing the validity of the actual information. The content released this year has already had a far-reaching geopolitical impact. The implications for the future of American (and international) politics are enormous.
There is a new “Fourth Branch,” and this branch doesn’t have traditional limitations like borders, human networks, and security clearances; the new Fourth Branch lives in cyberspace. It appears to have pure (if sometimes misguided) intentions, but what happens when the best intentions lead to catastrophe? What happens when the power of “checks and balances” can’t be checked or balanced? What if we find that groups like WikiLeaks truly can be bought or influenced by governments like Russia and China?The new Fourth Branch begs the question, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?“ Who will guard the guards themselves?
