Paul Manafort's suit dealer is not impressed: 'I've had more interesting things happen to me'
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.
In an interview with GQ, Katzman said he really doesn't "think much of this" — with "this" being his discovery that Manafort used shady money to buy his $18,000 python jacket, and his testimony in a case that ultimately found the president's former associate guilty on eight felony counts. "I've had more interesting things happen to me," Katzman said.
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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.
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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.
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