In undermining Bernie Sanders' campaign, the Democrats have proved themselves to be anything but

If Hillary Clinton is to appeal to the left, she must apologise immediately for any form of misconduct from the DNC and put an end to the neo-McCarthyist attitude that pollutes it

Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign stop in Connecticut AP

It is time for anyone who castigated Bernie Sanders and his supporters for their “Bernie Bro conspiracies” to look away now. Those who held the sneering attitudes that were ever present from the naïve guard dogs of the press, in the face of accusations questioning the impartiality of Democratic National Committee (DNC), have been proven to be on the wrong side of history.

Through Wikileaks, in the last few days we have learned that US democracy may have been undermined by the Democratic Party just weeks after concerns about the nature of the democratic process, and the motives of those who seek to influence it, had been palmed off as the mutterings of tin foil hat wearers who cannot accept defeat.

We are in dangerous territory when it is so easy for those in power to vilify and smear as “conspiracy theories” the genuine and – as we now know – legitimate concerns of voters.

The notorious whistle-blower Wikileaks dumped just under 20,000 emails on its website on Friday involving prominent figures in the hierarchy of the Democratic National Committee. Emails uncovered appear to indicate that the DNC contrived attacks against Sanders and his campaign, in direct contravention of party rules which state that all DNC officers must remain neutral in presidential primaries.

Trawling through these eye-opening documents, it seems clear that the DNC exhibited a pro-Clinton bias throughout the campaign. The DNC’s national press secretary, Mark Paustenpach, even went as far as pitching anti-Sanders narratives to colleagues, many of which were later used. One email – in which a DNC staff members talks of a “friend” who could provide more information – justifies the “paranoia” within the Sanders camp that there were moles inside his organisation.

Whether it be co-ordinating a line of attack based on Sanders’ religion, questioning whether Sanders is really a Democrat, or calling his more balanced policy on Israel and Palestine "disturbing", there is now significant evidence to indicate that the DNC was consistently working to undermine the Sanders campaign.

What might be more surprising, and is potentially even more damaging to the American democratic process, is the extent to which the leaks suggest co-ordinary between the DNC and members of the press. Those who sought to investigate the potential for such collaboration were vilified. The now former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz made a stunning demand to MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, commanding him that “this must stop”, in response to questions over the possibility of treating Sanders unfairly. Now Todd appears to among the handful not compromised in his execution of his work.

In a twist beyond parody, Wasserman Schultz resigned yesterday only to be given a job by the Clinton campaign hours later. The so-called Democratic Party is anything but. The actions of the party establishment are nothing short of an affront to democracy.

It is time for the Democrats to wake up and smell the coffee. The polls are closer than they should be, with a rival of such questionable aptitude for the role of President as Donald Trump. If Clinton is to appeal to the left, she must apologise immediate for any form of misconduct from the DNC, and put an end to the neo-McCarthyist attitude that pollutes it.

These leaks show that Democrats were actively working against a US progressive movement which shares its aims and values – if not always the route of travel – with Democrat supporters. Until the party embraces Bernie and his supporters, instead of casting them to one side, it will play straight into the gleeful hands of President Donald Trump.