A corporation or trust (not an individual) uses debt to finance a project or acquisition.
That's the DEBT FINANCING part.
Now, the MEZZANINE bit.
So, Lender A: 'we will lend $20 million for a rate of return of 5%.'
Lender B : 'we will lend $50 million but we want 7%.'
And so on.
It's way more complicated than that, but you get the idea.
So, in conclusion :
Politico's ignorance is embarrassing.
But that's #FakeNews
The end.