A former Democratic fundraiser-turned-lobbyist used his connections to then-secretary of State Hillary Clinton for his clients, the latest batch of Clinton emails released by the government agency show.
OpenSecrets reported that Jonathan Mantz, who served as national finance director for Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign, lobbied for real estate company Delos Living during the time when the company committed $250,000 to a State Department initiative when Clinton served as secretary of state.
One year later, Delos partnered with the Clinton Foundation on a $5 million project that involved constructing a "world class" soccer stadium in Haiti.
According to OpenSecrets:
Mantz’ name appears in a State Department email about the 2010 Shanghai Expo as officials working for then-Secretary Clinton scrambled to find funding for the U.S. pavilion at the event. In the email, sent by State Department official Kris Balderston to Clinton’s private email address, Balderston listed several corporate financiers of the pavilion and made a note that Delos was "a Mantz client." "Good work," Clinton replied. ... By raising private funds for the American pavilion, Clinton helped avoid an embarrassing U.S. absence at the Expo; by September 2010, more than six million people had visited the structure.
Delos announced in September 2011 its partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to build the Phoenix Stadium in Haiti, which was to house a Haitian soccer league. The $5 million deal also included planned construction of schools and a youth soccer academy, in addition to other projects.
At the time, another major Clinton ally, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, served on Delos’ board. He celebrated the plan to build the stadium, labeling it "one of the most exciting projects that I have seen presented at CGI."
The soccer stadium has not yet been built.
Delos Living paid Mantz’s lobbying firm BGR Group $430,000 in 2010 and $280,000 in 2011 for "provid[ing] strategic counsel regarding developments in real estate."
Delos has donated between $500,000 and $1 million to the Clinton Foundation. Three other Mantz clients have also contribution to the foundation.
Mantz, who started his career in Democratic fundraising by serving as finance director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 1997, is also currently a senior adviser for finance for Priorities USA, the super PAC supporting Clinton in her White House bid.
According to a Delos Living spokesperson, the Haitian soccer stadium "is not moving forward due to local reasons." A spokesperson also said that Delos never ultimately supported the U.S. pavilion at the Expo despite monetary commitment.