Martin Shkreli Smirks His Way Through House Hearing


Videos Show Unrepentant Gouger

Shkreli was not willing to be forthcoming about his objectives and motivations, and is constantly dodging by pleading the 5th amendment. However, after the hearing he took to Twitter to share his real thoughts when he indicated “Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government.”

Five minutes were set aside for opening remarks that could shed light on Shkreli’s controversial decision to raise the price of Daraprim, a drug for a rare but severe infection that afflicts people with compromised immune systems. But Shkreli declined to make any. Instead, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, began asking him questions about patients affected by the price and remarks he had made previously. Shkreli gave the same composed answer to each question:

“On the advice of counsel, I invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and respectfully decline to answer your question,” Shkreli said. Repeatedly.

Shkreli didn’t come willingly to Thursday’s hearing. He was compelled by a subpoena that he threatened to ignore and that his lawyers argued against vehemently.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) described Turing as a “Ponzi scheme” in his opening remarks, saying the research and development that Turing has claimed it is doing to justify its high prices is simply research on which new drugs it could acquire to raise their prices.

Shkreli smirked.

“It’s not funny, Mr. Shkreli. People are dying,” Cummings said.

If Mr. Shkreli spends any time at all in prison for his actions, we can only hope that he will run into some “attitude adjustment administrators” who will remove the perpetual smirk from Shkreli’s face, but it is just as likely that he will walk away with no punishment whatever.

Sadly, our culture has devolved into a heartless, arrogant environment where an operator like Shkreli will be rewarded for his dishonesty. But if there is justice in this life, he will spend a long time locked up with individuals who will find his “sense of humor” less than amusing.

Source: washingtonpost.com

 



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