The Associated Press reported Thursday evening that the State Department is re-opening its investigation of the handling of classified material by Hillary Clinton and her top aides. The investigation has been shut down since April to allow the FBI to complete its own investigation:

State Department reopens internal probe into Hillary Clinton email scandal; administrative sanctions possible – AP https://t.co/ZHWhQn9LiN

— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) July 7, 2016

Word of the re-opening of the investigation came from State Department spokesman John Kirby who indicated sanctions could still have an impact on individuals with a security clearance, even those who are no longer in government service. From the AP:

Beyond the Democratic front-runner, the probe is will most likely examine confidants Cheryl Mills, Jake Sullivan and Huma Abedin — who wrote many of the emails to their boss that the various investigations have focused on. Mills, Clinton’s chief of staff at the State Department, has been viewed as a possibility for the same job in the White House. There is speculation that Sullivan, Clinton’s former policy chief, could be national security adviser.

“There could be repercussions,” Kirby told reporters Wednesday, saying infractions identified would be kept on file. If someone’s security clearance is taken away, he said it would have an effect “assuming that individual still needed the clearance to work in another federal agency or something like that.”

Given the State Department’s general willingness to back Clinton on this story over the past year, it would be a genuine surprise if they sanctioned anyone now. Kirby can say that such a thing is possible all he wants but, in reality, the Clinton camp probably won’t be losing any sleep about the outcome of this investigation.