'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli Keeps Mum at House Hearing, Calls Congress 'Imbeciles'

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Martin Shkreli, former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals LLC, prepares to testify before a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing on "Developments in the Prescription Drug Market Oversight" on Capitol Hill in Washington February 4, 2016. © Joshua Roberts / Reuters

Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli, the "most hated man on the internet" who raised the price of a HIV drug by 5,000%, chose to remain silent during the Congressional hearing on prescription drug prices. He later tweeted calling the government 'imbeciles'.

Summoned before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to give testimony on recent increases in prices of prescription drugs, Shkreli invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege to remain silent.

To the repeated urging of chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC), the ex-CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals merely replied he intended "to follow to advice of my counsel, not yours."

Shkreli's lawyer also advised him not to speak to the press. Seeing that they would get nothing from the  ex-CEO, the committee dismissed him early.  

The New York-born "Pharma Bro" gained notoriety after Turing raised the price of Daraprim, a drug essential for HIV treatment, from $13.50 to $750 per pill in just over a month last fall. His contempt for critics earned him the moniker of "the most hated man on the internet." 

Shkreli is currently being investigated for fraud related to his activity in a hedge fund and Retrophin, a pharmaceutical company he owned before his tenure at Turing.

He has not been coy defending his actions and lifestyle in interviews and on twitter, but during the congressional hearing he preferred to smirk and grin instead of answering the questions.

He took it to twitter later.

Twitter
Martin Shkreli ✔ @MartinShkreli
Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government.
7:17 AM - 4 Feb 2016


They don't represent 'the people in our government', they are the people in our government and they represent the people of the United States.

You might force yourself to accept it, because it's true. Whether 'imbeciles' or not, they are some of the most powerful men in the country. Your smirking and insulting them will not serve you well down the road. Perhaps when you get there, you might have a better idea of who the 'imbecile' is. 

Meanwhile, have you ever heard of Dale Carnegie?