The question we have now is can it be done by enemies of freedom and still lead to more freedom? There is the logic of polarisation, of fight - both sides use whatever comes their way to weaken the opposite. Russia wants to weaken the USA, so they expose the political dirt to destabilize, and that works in the short term - but I like to think that in the long term it removes the dirt and makes the free system stronge…
Technicalities aside, these "revelations" should serve as a reminder that when it comes to politics (including every version of democracy), there is a shiny veneer of righteousness, and underneath is intricate machinery that serves the sole purpose of controlling and manipulating the population. Both the US and Russia are extremely good at this in their own ways. The Cold War presented plenty of opportunities to refine the craft.