According to the Washington Free Beacon, the Democratic National Committee computer files have been hacked by Russian intelligence services, either civilian or military, with a view of influencing the 2016 elections. The Russians have acquired a great deal of sensitive internal information, especially about Hillary Clinton. Added to what Russian intelligence doubtless knows about Clinton from the hack of her unsecured email service, it has to have an unprecedented amount of information about the former secretary of state, a woman who would become president of the United States.

To be sure, if American intelligence sources are right, and Russia wants to use whatever dirt it has on Hillary Clinton to influence the outcome of the election, Putin must have concluded that Donald Trump would make a better president of the United States from his perspective.

But a more ominous explanation suggests itself.

Russia’s interests might be better served if Clinton, thoroughly compromised now that her deepest secrets are known to its intelligence services, becomes president instead of Trump, a volatile and uncontrollable person who would not likely follow Russia’s lead. Clinton could be blackmailed at any time into instituting policies that suit Russia’s interests and not those of the United States.

The prospect of an American president who is under the control of a would-be rival superpower would be incredibly dangerous. Clinton, whose career demonstrates that she has no moral compass, would not be too resistant to following Moscow’s lead in certain areas, such as Eastern Europe for example, to avoid her secrets being leaked to the media.

Whether or not Donald Trump will use this situation for his political benefit is unknown at this time. However, the prospect of a Clinton presidency that is under the effective control of another country would be too awful for her main political rival not to exploit. Clinton has had fun claiming that Trump is too dangerous to be allowed either control of the nuclear button or the American economy.

How much more dangerous would it be to have, in effect, Vladimir Putin in control of these things. That would be the situation if Hillary Clinton were to be elected president of the United States.