While the most serious consequence - loss of security clearance - seems impossible (bordering on absurd) to enforce on Mrs Clinton were she to be elected president, it could prevent her from placing any affected staff into high levels of her administration.
So, the worst case consequence of the investigation is that she won't be able to hire the same people who she had as her staff earlier since they would lose their security clearance.
I read this earlier today, and I think it is what you're referencing. But, without looking into the specifics, I would be surprised if this was not an unconstitutional bill of attainder that the Republicans are proposing.
Yes, but who cares about such trifling matters as constitutional provisions when you have a vendetta to pursue?
Sadly. Though, the same can be said about certain people in the Cult of Bernsonality. I mean, they blow the email scandal out of proportion on a hope that it results in a criminal conviction, showing a profound lack of understanding legal concepts of mens rea and culpable mental states. Similarly, the recent class action against Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC in Florida shows a profound lack of understanding for civil procedure: I'd be surprised to see the class action survive beyond the 12(b)(6) stage, and slightly less surprised if the attorney in the case avoids getting hit with rule 11 sanctions.
I said it in another thread, but liberals and conservatives seem to be pretty ignorant about the law. The latter more so than the former, but not really by much. Both groups of people seem to believe that the law should operate as necessary to bring about the wishes that they desire, and sometimes laws don't really do that very well.