Martin Shkreli Grins And Goes Silent During Congressional Hearing

Martin Shkreli, the drug entrepreneur who defended his decision to raise the price of a life-saving AIDS drug from $13.50 to $750, went quiet Thursday at a Congressional committee, grinning instead of answering questions.

Martin Shkreli Grins and Refuses to Testify At Hearing

Shkreli refused to testify at the hearing and cited his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Members of Congress expressed their disgust to Shkreli, whose previous company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, came under scrutiny when it raised the price of Daraprim more than 5,000%.

“Drug company executives are lining their pockets at the expense of some of the most vulnerable families in our nation,” U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings told Shkreli. “It’s not funny, Mr. Shkreli. People are dying and they’re getting sicker and sicker.”

Shkreli sat silently at the witness table, smirking several times, and appeared on the verge of laughter at one point while Cummings lit into him.

After the hearing, the drug entrepreneur expressed his own disgust.

“Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government,” Shkreli posted to Twitter.

Shkreli is facing multiple criminal securities charges over allegations that he took stock from a previous biotech company to pay off business debts and lied about the investment returns of his former hedge fund.

Rep. Trey Gowdy was shocked by Shkreli’s silence on the drug-price-hiking issues, which are not related to his indictment. He explained to Shkreli that he could testify on those issues without incriminating himself.

“I intend to follow the advice of counsel, not yours,” Shkreli responded.

In a brief press conference, Ben Brafman, Shkreli’s lawyer, tried to explain Shkreli’s behavior, saying his client was just “nervous.” Shkreli did not comment.