The State Department is reopening its internal investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server after the Department of Justice (DOJ) decided not to bring charges against her. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said this week the DOJ would not press charges against Mrs. Clinton.
“Given the Department of Justice has now made its announcement, the State Department intends to conduct its internal review,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
The State Department had suspended its investigation into its former secretary to avoid interfering with FBI Director James Comey’s recommendation and Justice Department fundings. Mr. Kirby refused to give specific information about what the department is investigating and he could not give a timeline for the process.
“Our goal will be to be as transparent as possible about our results, while complying with our various legal obligations,” he said.
The State Department’s investigation will also include top Clinton advisers including Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin and Jake Sullivan.
Admiral Kirby said earlier this week that former officials could still face “administrative sanctions” for past actions.
If that does lead to a loss of security clearances it will make it difficult for Mrs. Clinton to put a national security team in place if she becomes president. The State Department actually gave the referral to the FBI that sparked the criminal investigation into her email practices. An internal audit conducted by the inspector general concluded she violated the Federal Records Act and administration policy.