Including their own. How soon before the government is utilizing its security apparatus to blackmail its own wealthy and powerful?
I think that ship likely sailed long ago.
The fact that something has gone wrong before (even if repeatedly!) does not imply that we should not attempt to prevent it from happening again, or that it's no longer possible to take steps that would move us in that direction.
Please allow me to introduce you to J. Edgar Hoover.
Not that he was the first in US history, by a long shot.
Could even be our own country. Given that Barr is the son of a CIA scion I'm sure he wouldn't mind if U.S. intelligence agencies were given the power to pick and choose who is electable.
This is the greatest threat. Existing administration hacks into their opponents digital devices and then exposes all of their secrets to the world. This ensures that the party in power never loses an election again.
Forget about parties, it allows them to control who wins the primaries for both parties.