Paul Manafort's suit dealer is not impressed: 'I've had more interesting things happen to me'

Paul Manafort.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Paul Manafort's closely-watched trial included testimony from his former deputy, Rick Gates, his former accountant, and his former bookkeeper. But perhaps no other witness drew as much attention as Maximilian Katzman, who told the world about Manafort's $15,000 ostrich jacket.

Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, apparently has a passion for fashion, and Katzman was the suit dealer who provided the goods. Despite Manafort's lavish spending and ultimate downfall, Katzman doesn't count his role in his former client's affairs among his most notable life experiences.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

When GQ pointed out that, for most people, this would be a big deal, Katzman allowed that it was "definitely in the top 10," but said it was "just one in many times in my life where I've just had to laugh and say 'Well, yeah, okay, this is what's going on and let's roll with it.'" He declined to name the other top-10 moments in his life, but insisted Manafort's spending of nearly a million dollars on high-end merchandise was truly just another day — regardless of the ultimate criminal conviction. "Really, it's normal," he said. Read more at GQ.

Explore More
Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.