Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta earns $7,000 a month from a top donor to the Democratic nominee as part of a contract struck between the two last year, according to newly released emails from WikiLeaks.
Podesta signed on as a consultant with the Sandler Foundation in February 2015 while he was preparing for the launch of Clinton's presidential bid. The contract, which is still active, requires Podesta to offer advice on grant-making and other foundation operations, Politico reported Tuesday.
The owners of the Sandler Foundation, Herb Sandler and his late wife Marion Sandler, amassed a fortune selling adjustable rate mortgages that some blame for contributing to the 2008 housing collapse.
Podesta's position as the full-time chairman of Clinton's presidential campaign and continued business dealings with a major campaign donor during the general election is unusual, Politico noted.
The Sandler family has contributed nearly $4.4 million in the 2016 cycle to Clinton's presidential campaign, a super PAC backing the former secretary of state called Priorities USA, and a number of Democratic Party committees, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Podesta discussed a December visit to Sandler in an email to the campaign's finance team, claiming the foundation owner was "prepared to double down on his Priorities support as well." The following day, Sandler contributed $1.5 million to Priorities USA. His donations to the PAC currently hover at $3 million.
Sandler sold his foundation to Wachovia Bank in 2006 for $25.5 billion not long before the housing bubble burst. Wells Fargo later acquired Wachovia.