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Priorities USA Preparing for Pro-Clinton 2016 Fundraising Transition

Hillary Clinton / AP
January 10, 2014

Democratic Super PAC Priorities USA Action is reportedly staffing up as it prepares to transition into a pro-Clinton 2016 fundraising machine.

The group is bringing in former Obama administration staffer Buffy Wicks as executive director and political operative Jonathan Mantz as financial adviser, the Hill reports. Former Michigan Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm is also being considered for a co-chair position to replace John Podesta, according to Politico.

"Very excited for my new role as executive director of Priorities USA Action. Ready to hit the ground running!" wrote Wicks on Twitter.

Wicks was a field organizer for President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, helping him topple Hillary Clinton in the primaries. She later joined the White House Office of Public Engagement as deputy director, where she was at the center of a controversy involving pro-Obama propaganda.

Wicks was recorded on a conference call that encouraged artists to promote the president’s agenda.

The White House acknowledged that the call was problematic and promised to take steps to ensure it did not happen again.

Wicks has also been dubbed "Buffy the Walmart Slayer" for her work at "Wake Up Walmart," a group that tried to pressure the retail giant into wage and health care reforms.

Mantz is a managing director at lobbying firm BGR Group and a registered foreign lobbyist for the Thai government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Washington Free Beacon reported in December. Mantz is also a registered lobbyist for Chevron USA, Inc. and the government of India.

BGR Group’s other foreign clients include the autocratic regimes in Kazakhstan and Qatar.